


Family

by enigmatic_erratum



Series: Home Trilogy [3]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Everyone Loves Kuroko Tetsuya, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Secrets, M/M, Other, Protective Akashi Seijuurou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:07:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27344050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmatic_erratum/pseuds/enigmatic_erratum
Summary: Anyone might say that Seijuro Akashi's hobby was to have fits of anger over anything that might harm his little brother, Tetsuya. But will he be able to get mad once Tetsuya, himself, reaches the age where he starts asking difficult questions, like-- "Who is my father?"Tetsuya knew that his last name isn't the same as his brother. He knew that they did not share the same parents and that Seijuro's father was not his. Who was he? What was he like? Does nii-chan know who he is? Where is he? Why... why did he leave?
Relationships: Kasamatsu Yukio/Kise Ryouta, Murasakibara Atsushi/Original Character(s)
Series: Home Trilogy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976086
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

Akashi was reviewing a few paperwork when a light knock occurred at his door, making him glance at the door before going back to his work. "Come in," he calmly stated.

The door slowly swung open and a teal-haired kid of the age eight stood by the doorway-- his uniform was slightly dirty and had fringes, an abrasion made itself known on the kid's cheek and his eyes looked down while his hands balled into fists.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi said in astonishment and hurried to his younger brother. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

Tetsuya kept his head down and refused to meet Akashi's eyes. "Nii-san..." he called softly.

"What is it? Are you hurt anywhere?" Akashi asked worriedly.

Tetsuya mumbled something Akashi didn't hear, but his expression was saying it all and it made Akashi remember that first time Tetsuya asked a question he knew was about to come as the kid grew.

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya... nii-san didn't hear what you said," Akashi said gently.

"Do you know..." Tetsuya asked once more in a louder and clearer tone. "Who my father is?"


	2. Incomplete

"Nice pass, Tetsu!" Aomine said with a grin as the eight-year-old successfully passed him the basketball and had Aomine dunk it in the ring to score for their team.

"Kise-nii!" Ogiwara complained as the yellow-haired pilot was once again outsmarted by the eight-year-old cyan head. 

"Mooo! It's not my fault Tetsuya-cchi suddenly pops out of nowhere!" Kise complained.

"If I know better, you were admitting that Tetsuya is better than you when it comes to basketball," Midorima said, making Aomine laugh, as he sat quietly beside Akashi while reading his book.

It was a Sunday today and everyone, except Murasakibara, was home and enjoying the nice weather outside-- Kise and Aomine had Tetsuya and Ogiwara play basketball while Midorima and Akashi sat by the gazebo and had tea while watching them play.

"That's because Tetsu's got a great mentor!" Aomine said, pointing at himself.

Tetsuya smiled at the older men as he held his basketball. "Daiki-nii's a very good mentor," he said.

"So annoying!" Ogiwara pouted, "Kuroko switch members with me, I don't like Kise-nii!"

"Hey, that's not a nice thing to say!" Kise complained.

Tetsuya chuckled. "Alright, Ogiwara-kun," he said.

Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I don't like him as my teammate, Tetsu," he said.

"Hey!" Ogiwara complained.

Nevertheless, they proceeded with their second game with Tetsuya being partners with Kise and Aomine having Ogiwara. The kid had been coming over every weekend to play basketball with Tetsuya since Akashi was uncomfortable with Tetsuya playing outside and argued that they have a court inside the premises of the mansion and that they were free to use it any time of the day as long as it won't hinder Tetsuya's study time.

"What are you thinking about?" Midorima asked, glancing at Akashi to see him deep in thought.

"Not what, who," Akashi answered.

"Are you still thinking about what Tetsuya told you?"

Akashi didn't answer.

"Well... it is normal for his age to start looking for a mother and father when he grew up with only having us," Midorima said.

"But why would he?" Akashi asked, "Why would he look for... for..."

Midorima couldn't help but smile at Akashi's statement. "Is that a question that I need to answer?" he asked.

Akashi frowned and sighed. "Have you called the principal of his school?" he asked.

Midorima nodded. "She told me that she already contacted the student's parents and was willing to hold a meeting with you tomorrow,"

"They should be," Akashi said, "I didn't enroll Tetsuya in that school just to get bullied around. The moment I saw him, he was... I was afraid he would revert back to his old self,"

Midorima sighed silently. "I really don't understand why some children have the capability to try and hurt others just because they're... different,"

"Tetsuya is not different," Akashi said.

Their attention was brought back to the game when Tetsuya fell on his knees after Aomine accidentally bumped into him and had him off balance.

"Oh no, Tetsuya-cchi, are you okay?" Kise asked and helped Tetsuya up.

Tetsuya nodded with a smile, but his knee got scraped and he winced when he tried to move-- the raw skin stretching.

"What happened?" Akashi asked as he approached them and looked at Tetsuya worriedly.

"I'm fine, nii-san," Tetsuya said with a smile.

"I didn't notice him, sorry Akashi," Aomine said, scratching his nape. "Sorry, Tetsu,"

"It's alright Daiki-nii,"

"Ne, ne, Kuroko!" Ogiwara called with a smile and showed him an unopened band-aid. "Let's patch it up with this,"

The brunette kid had an abnormal desire when it comes to band-aids and seems to have them plastered all over his body where he gets minors wounds-- the only thing Akashi didn't like with Ogiwara, aside from the fact that he was calling Tetsuya with his last name. Akashi hated Tetsuya's last name.

Tetsuya nodded and walked to the gazebo and sat down while Ogiwara patches his knee. "There, all better," he said with a wide grin.

"Thank you, Ogiwara-kun," Tetsuya said with a smile.

"I guess that's enough playing for today," Akashi said, ruffling Tetsuya's hair. "Let's go inside and have some afternoon snacks, what do you say?"

Tetsuya nodded and they all proceeded to the kitchen where Midorima prepared sandwiches for all of them.

"Tetsuya, you have to finish at least two sandwiches today," Akashi said, handing a sandwich to his brother.

"I'll try," Tetsuya answered as he took a small bite from his sandwich.

Tetsuya's appetite, despite his conditions improving, stayed the same as it was when he was younger. He eats like a bird, as stated by Aomine, and it worried them at how Tetsuya was the smallest in his class because he lacked the nutrition he needed for his growing body.

"Also drink your milk," Midorima said, placing a glass of milk next to Tetsuya.

"Oy!" Aomine called, taking their attention where the blue-haired police frowned at Ogiwara who was shoving sandwiches in his mouth. "They were made for all of us, not only you!"

"Neee, Aomine-cchi! It's alright since Midorima made a few so we can all have one," Kise said, trying to get in between the two bickering individuals.

"Shut up, Kise!" Aomine said, stuffing his face with sandwiches and glared at Ogiwara. "I won't lose to a kid like you, you brat!"

"Like I'd let you win!" Ogiwara said, chewing faster to eat more sandwiches.

"What is this, an eating contest?" Midorima muttered.

In the end, they finished the sandwiches Midorima made with the others having a taste as well. But Tetsuya only finished half of his second sandwich before downing his milk and declared that he was already full.

"Ne, Kuroko! Let's play video games in your room!" Ogiwara said, tugging Tetsuya's hand.

Tetsuya looked up at Akashi, asking a silent question. Tetsuya's room was equipped with a television and a video game console which had been a birthday present from Kise. To ensure that Tetsuya is not badly influenced by the video games he played, Akashi had strictly implemented that video games are only from Friday afternoon up until Saturday afternoon. It was a good thing that Tetsuya was a good kid and had obeyed his big brother's rules.

However, with Ogiwara asking, Tetsuya had silently tried and pleaded Akashi to allow him since Ogiwara had only asked for the first time after so many visits.

Akashi smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "It's alright," he said, "Go on and play while Ogiwara waits for his mother to pick him up,"

Tetsuya's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you, nii-san!" he said then ran off to his room with Ogiwara to start playing.

"Well that was a rare thing to see," Aomine commented as he helped Midorima clean up after their snacks.

"Tetsuya's grades have been maintained and I don't find any reason why I should not let him play video games today," Akashi said, "Besides... he needs to take his mind off of things that he should not be having problems with,"

"Eh? What do you mean, Akashi-cchi?" Kise asked.

Midorima glanced at Akashi then turned to the kitchen to wash the utensils they had used for the day.

Akashi sighed silently. "I suppose it's pointless to keep you in the dark," he said, "I wanted to wait for Atsushi before telling you... but I seem to have let my tongue slip carelessly,"

"Why? What's wrong with Tetsu?" Aomine asked.

Despite being well and having a normal life, Tetsuya was still at the age where his mental state was still a delicate thing to handle. Since he underwent abuse when he was younger, he was more prone to mentally breaking than other kids his age and can easily revert back to his old broken self-- a thing the five older men were avoiding.

"The other day, Tetsuya came home from school," Akashi said, "He looked like he got into a fight,"

"Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise asked, "Are you sure?"

"I don't think he started it, though," Akashi said, "Tetsuya would never do such a thing,"

"So who did it?" Aomine asked and Akashi actually smiled at their concern. Tetsuya was also like a little brother to them and he had grown pretty close to Kise and Aomine as well.

"I asked him what happened, but..." Akashi said, his brows furrowing as he remembered the question Tetsuya asked him that day. "He asked me about his father,"

"His... father?" Aomine asked.

"Why would he ask such a thing? Was he the one that hurt Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise asked.

Akashi shook his head. "It was one of his classmates," he said, "Tetsuya didn't tell me the reason, but if he was asking about his father, then that might be the factor to why he was caught up in a fight in school,"

Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance. If Akashi and Aomine shared a trait, it would be their hatred towards their parents-- or in Akashi's case, his father.

"Damn kid should be taught a lesson," Aomine said, cracking his knuckles.

"Aomine-cchi!" Kise scolded him.

"I've already talked to the principal, or rather... Shintaro did," Akashi said, "And we'll be able to meet the other kid and his parents and demand what his problem is with Tetsuya,"

Their conversation was cut short when their doorbell rang and Ogiwara's father stood by the door, apologizing for coming so late and told them that he was going to pick Ogiwara instead of his mom.

Ogiwara dashed down the stairs after bidding goodbye to Tetsuya and grinned at his father. Ogiwara's father thanked Akashi and the others and bid goodbye as well before holding his son's hand as they started walking home together.

Akashi glanced at Tetsuya, who was standing just beside him, and could see the pure sadness and envy in his eyes the moment Ogiwara held his father's hand. He knew the kid was thinking about his own father and Akashi couldn't help but feel angry-- at Tetsuya's father for disappearing just before he was born, and at Tetsuya... for looking for his father when he had Akashi and the others.

"Tetsuya," he called. "What's wrong?"

Tetsuya blinked and pushed his emotions down. "Nothing, nii-san," he said with a smile.

"You know you can tell nii-san everything, right?" Akashi asked, holding Tetsuya's smaller hands.

He expected Tetsuya to start talking, but he knew Tetsuya was a smart kid and was very observant. He knew that Tetsuya knew Akashi didn't like talking about any topic related to fathers as it was a sensitive topic for him-- considering he never had the chance to spend time with his own until he died and it was already too late for the both of them.

Tetsuya smiled. "Of course, nii-san," he said, "But I really am fine,"

"Are the kids at school giving you a hard time?" Akashi asked, making Tetsuya look down on his own lap. "You know I can transfer you to other schools,"

Tetsuya shook his head. "It would still be the same," he whispered, "Besides... I don't want to leave Ogiwara-kun behind,"

The other three older men were quietly listening to the siblings' conversation but didn't engage themselves as they knew they wouldn't make much of a difference.

Akashi smiled and kissed the top of Tetsuya's head. "Alright," he said, "If that's what you want, then I'll just have a word with the kid's parents about what happened and make sure it won't happen again, okay?"

Tetsuya nodded with a smile. "Thank you, nii-san," he said, hugging Akashi.

"Of course, anything for you," Akashi as he ruffled his hair. "Now go and take a shower, we will have dinner once Atsushi gets home,"

Tetsuya nodded and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower, leaving Akashi to his thoughts as he watched his brother disappear to the bathroom.

"That was unexpected," Midorima said as he cleaned up after them.

"What was?" Akashi asked.

"What you said," Midorima said, making Aomine and Kise exchange glances and smiles. "Tetsuya really brings the best out of you, Akashi,"

Akashi smiled sadly. "But I can't do the same," he said.

"Ne, Akashi-cchi, I don't think that's fair for your part or for Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said, "I may not have an older brother but... I'm sure Tetsuya-cchi thinks that you bring out the best in him as well. You make him happy and love him,"

 _'Do I?'_ Akashi thought. _'Do I make him happy? Is he happy having a family with only me in it?'_


	3. Curious

Midorima pulled the blanket over the shoulders of a sleeping Tetsuya. He swiped a few strands of stray hair away from Tetsuya's face who mumbled and wrapped his arms around his stuffed dog he named Nigou. He smiled and turned Tetsuya's lamp off, leaving his night light open, as he closed the storybook for the night and put it back to the shelf before exiting the room.

It had been a year now since they convinced Tetsuya to move to a bedroom of his own since they were concerned at how early the kid wakes up in the morning every time one of them starts preparing for work and Akashi couldn't keep on letting him sleep in his room since Akashi often sleeps late in the night and it was unhealthy for Tetsuya. In exchange though, one of them would stay with him and read him stories until he falls asleep which was what the older men agreed with. 

Midorima headed to Akashi's office where the redhead was working from home and intended to stay up late. "He's already asleep," he announced after making his presence known by Akashi.

"Thank you, Shintaro," Akashi answered, his eyes not taking off his computer screen.

"You shouldn't stay up too late," Midorima said.

"Just a few more minutes,"

"Your minutes mean hours," Midorima mumbled, making Akashi chuckle.

"Fine just a few more emails to answer and then I'll head off to bed," Akashi said, glancing at his family doctor. "Happy?"

Midorima snorted as he adjusted his glasses. "It's not I can do anything else," he said, "What are you doing, anyway? You didn't seem busy earlier but then after dinner, you locked yourself up here. Tetsuya wanted you to read to him tonight,"

Akashi frowned. "I'm sorry, I'll do it tomorrow night," he said, "It's just... this is important,"

Midorima was tempted to look over at Akashi's computer to see what he was working and but he already knew what it was and decided not to bother the redhead even more. 

"Was he mad at me?" Akashi asked when Midorima turned and went for the door.

"Worried," Midorima answered. "He doesn't like it when you stay up late and had often asked me to persuade you to sleep early,"

As funny as it sounded, Tetsuya thought that Akashi was the smallest among the five of his older brothers because he was the one who usually stayed up late and handled more stress than the rest. That's why he promised himself and to Midorima that he'd sleep on time and get plenty of rest since he wanted to grow up big like Murasakibara-- an exaggeration in Tetsuya's part if you ask the green-haired doctor.

"Fine," Akashi mumbled then started to tidy up his table as he turned his computer off after saving his work. "I can continue this tomorrow anyway,"

Midorima hid a smile. Four years since Tetsuya came into their lives and it still baffles him and the others at how easily can Tetsuya persuades Akashi into doing something they normally have a problem with.

***

_He trembled in fear but kept himself in his position as he stood in front of the angry gaze of his father. Earlier, he had persuaded his personal butler to take him outside despite his father's strict instructions to keep him inside the mansion's premises today while his father was gone for a meeting._

_But he had been cooped up inside the mansion for days now and was itching to meet up with his friends-- friends that his father did not approve of-- and had snuck out to play with them, only to come back home to see his father impatiently waiting for him with a scowl on his face and disappointment in his eyes._

_"Did I not tell you that you are not to go outside today?" his father's voice was calm, making it scarier for the ten-year-old kid_

_"Y-yes, father," he answered, "But I--"_

_"So you deliberately disobeyed my orders, and had your butler agree to it as well," his father cut through his words like a knife and silenced him._

_"I just wanted to play with my friends," he mumbled, hoping that his father would understand like how his mother used to. "Mother would--"_

_"Your mother is dead. Do well to remember that. I am all you have now and you shall do everything I tell you to do without any complaints or second thoughts. You are heir to the family business and will do all things perfectly because failure and mistakes are not what makes an Akashi. Do you understand, Seijuro?"_

_Yes, his mother was dead-- gone just before he reached the age of ten. His father had been strict before, but he never minded it as long as his mother was there for him-- his only pillar of support. But with her gone for good... things will only get harder for him and for his father whom he never sees eye to eye._

_His eyes burned with tears threatening to fall as he wished his mother were here, stopping his father from scolding him like the usual and would let him go and play. 'He's still a child,' is what she would say and his father would snort and say 'He's always a child in your eyes' and that despite their small argument, his father would grunt and let loose of his imaginary leash with his mother smiling at him warmly and allowing him his freedom._

_"I asked you a question," His father's voice brought him out of his musings._

_"Y-yes... father," he whispered._

_"As punishment, you are to have your lessons doubled," His father said and Akashi felt his tears fall from his eyes but didn't dare wiped them away. "For how long, I don't know. Now, go and proceed to your lessons,"_

_Akashi bowed at his father and turned for the door, allowing his tears to run down freely from his face and he cursed the world for giving him such a life, cursed fate for letting him be an only heir, cursed his father for his hunger for success and father, and cursed his mother for having an illness that had her leave him forever._

***

The next morning, Akashi took Tetsuya to school where they headed to the principal's office to see the kid who hit Tetsuya and his parents as well as the principal already seated and was waiting for them.

"I apologize for arriving late," Akashi said as he took a seat across the boy and his parents and have Tetsuya sit beside him.

"It's fine, Akashi-san," the principal answered with a smile. "Now, for today, we will discuss the issue between Tetsuya and Yoshi,"

"What seems to be the issue about?" Yoshi's father asked.

Akashi raised a brow-- how could he not know what his son had done? Did the school not explain it to them?

"Dear, Yoshi, hit this little boy the other day," Yoshi's mother said then turned to Akashi. "I apologize, it was me who they called and explained everything. My husband has been busy with work and doesn't have many chances to spend time at home because of his work,"

"Which is where I'll be running late today," Yoshi's father said, glancing at his wristwatch. "So can we please cut to the chase?"

"Well... I asked a few students who witnessed the scene and they told me that Yoshi hit Tetsuya for not answering a question he asked," the principal said.

Yoshi's father looked surprised-- like he didn't expect his son to act that way-- but Yoshi's mother was unfazed at all-- as if being called in by the school was a normal thing to happen.

"Yoshi," the father called his son who kept his head bowed down. He looked a little mad and Akashi was actually glad that he wasn't as lenient as he thought he looked like and would actually see him scold at his son for what he had done to Tetsuya.

"Dear, let Yoshi explain," the mother said, and Akashi frowned. Somehow, he saw what his family was back then-- Akashi being the troublemaker that he was, his father all strict and prim and proper, and his mother-- who seem to be able to persuade her husband for cutting Akashi some slack.

The mother turned to Akashi. "If this means anything, I really am sorry for our son's reaction," she said then turned to Tetsuya who had his head bowed and had a tight grip on Akashi's shirt. "But what Yoshi did to this little boy here has no excuse,"

"I won't say it was alright since I strongly disapprove of your son's actions," Akashi said then looked at Yoshi. "But... I want to ask what Yoshi's reasons are for hitting my brother,"

"Yoshi, would you like to explain?" Yoshi's mother asked.

Yoshi sniffed and Akashi noticed that the kid was trying to blink back tears. "W-well... Mama and Papa say that... that lying is a wrong thing to do," he said, glancing at Tetsuya. "And-and I asked Kuroko... if-if he has a Mama and Papa as well because I only see... his big brother picking him up from school. While the rest of us are picked up by our Mama or Papa, and... and... he was lying,"

Akashi frowned.

"Lying about what, Yoshi?" Yoshi's father asked though he knew what the kid was trying to imply.

"About... about having Mama and Papa," Yoshi answered, looking down at his own lap. "If... If Kuroko has a Mama and Papa... then why don't they pick him up from school?"

"T-that's because I told you they're busy!" Tetsuya answered and Akashi was quite astonished by his brother snapping. "My mom is... is a star and... my dad... he-he... he's working far away, so nii-san takes care of--"

"Then why do you have different last names?" Yoshi asked. There was no hint of insult and it was a question asked out of curiosity-- but it stroke Akashi right below the belt.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi's mother scolded.

"I deeply apologize for my son, Akashi-san," Yoshi's father said, "We admit he has been a hard-headed and curious kid but... we didn't think he'd try and give Kuroko-kun here a hard time,"

Akashi didn't look happy and it must've shown because the other party paled when they looked at how he reacted to the situation. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and stood up from his seat. "Come, Tetsuya," he said, "You might be late to your class,"

Tetsuya didn't answer and took Akashi's hand where he led the kid out to the door. He stopped for a while and turned back to the principal. "I know you can't possibly look after every child you're holding, but... if the same thing happens to my brother I won't hesitate to transfer him to another school. So I ask you one simple thing, try to avoid these kinds of things so we won't have any problems arise between us. We shall be taking our leave now,"

Tetsuya clung to Akashi's hand as he closed the door behind him and refused to move when Akashi started to walk to Tetsuya's classroom.

"Tetsuya?" Akashi called, "You'll be late,"

Tetsuya whispered and it always irritated Akashi when he does that. "Speak up, Tetsuya," he said, "You know I don't like it when you mumble and whisper like that,"

Tetsuya ran to him and gripped his slacks-- an action Tetsuya had been fond of since he was younger. "Please take me home, nii-san..." he muttered, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Please..."

Akashi sighed and knelt in front of Tetsuya, wrapping him in a hug. "Alright, I won't force you to go to school today, but... there's no one home right now and I won't be able to bring you to work,"

"I'll be fine by myself," Tetsuya mumbled.

"No, Tetsuya, I won't let you," Akashi said then took his phone out. "I'll try asking the others if they can take you in for work, alright?"

Tetsuya didn't nod. "But... I want to be with you today," he said, making Akashi stop dialing the others' numbers as he remembered what Midorima told him last night about Tetsuya wanting Akashi by his side.

Akashi sighed silently. He wasn't the president of the company for nothing. "Alright, I'll see if I can bring you to work," he said, "But you have to promise to stay in my office the whole time and would only go with Reo. I have meetings today and won't be able to look after you,"

"Can't I come with you to your meeting instead?" Tetsuya asked, "I'll behave, I promise,"

"I wish I could, but they don't allow children inside," Akashi said, racking his brain to think of an excuse to persuade him to stay inside his office. "Besides... you'll just get bored and be... be..."

Akashi acted to be droopy and started to fake snore, making Tetsuya smile. This was a side he would only let Tetsuya see. He would hang himself if one of his friends witness him like that as they might lose their respect and fear towards Akashi.

"Nii-san!" Tetsuya laughed.

"Oh! Oh, I fell asleep," Akashi said then smiled at Tetsuya. "See? The meeting's so boring that it put me to sleep right away,"

Tetsuya giggled.

Akashi smiled and ruffled his hair. "Come on, let's get out of here,"


	4. Return

Akashi spotted Reo doing typing on his desk with no Tetsuya on sight. "Reo, where's Tetsuya?" he asked once he was an earshot away from his secretary.

"Napping," Reo answered, "Kid's got a body clock or something. He was all hyper and playful but when the clocked ticked to three, he got all droopy and asked to go back to your office,"

Akashi smiled. "What did you guys do the whole day?" he asked.

"Just... roamed around the office," Reo answered, "Although he did help me distribute some paperwork to the employees so I got to do my job while babysitting little Tetsu-chan,"

"I'm really sorry for the sudden task," Akashi said, "He's been having a hard time in school, and Shintaro and the others are still at work so I really had no choice but to take him with me,"

Reo smiled at him. "Tetsu-chan wasn't a bother. He's nice and kind and is actually helpful. If he was in the right age I'd ask you to employ him to be my associate,"

"As if that will happen," Akashi snorted and made his way to his office.

He immediately spotted the teal-haired kid sleeping on his office's couch. Akashi glanced at his wristwatch to see what time it was and noticed that it was already time for him to clock out and go home but Tetsuya looked so peaceful in his sleep and didn't want to wake him up.

Akashi sat down by Tetsuya's feet and noticed the scratch papers scattered above the coffee table with his brother's signature drawings. Tetsuya, through time and practice, had been excelling in arts and by the age of eight can draw detailed images of places he had been fond of visiting like the park or the beach. But one drawing caught his eye-- a small figure with cyan-colored hair was holding hands with a bigger feminine figure with brunette hair and blue eyes and a masculine figure sketched through a pencil.

He had to fight the urge to tear the drawing into pieces as he knew Tetsuya wouldn't appreciate it, but his anger was boiling inside him when he saw the sketch his brother made-- a picture of Tetsuya's family with him holding hands with his mother and a father he never saw as he grew up. He looked at the sleeping child next to him and all his anger was immediately replaced with pity and sadness-- Tetsuya was looking for his parents, and though he never asked Akashi or the others directly he knew the boy longed for them.

He sighed as he stacked the papers in a neat file before putting them inside the child's bag and slung it over one of his shoulders. He called Reo through the intercom and told him to bring his case to his car as he carefully lifted Tetsuya up and carried him outside.

Employees tried their best to avoid their gaze but seeing their President's soft sides were such rare occasions they had no intention of missing-- Akashi had a panda bear backpack slung over one of his shoulders while he carried his sleeping little brother and walked to the elevator as if it was a normal thing for him to do.

***

"Take him to his room," Akashi instructed Kise who took the sleeping Tetsuya from his grasp.

"Tetsuya-cchi's getting heavy," Kise grunted but he lifted the kid with ease and Akashi could tell that he was bluffing-- with his appetite almost on par with Aomine's, he shouldn't complain. "By the way, Mayuzumi-cchi called earlier and told me to call you once you arrive,"

"Why?" Akashi asked, putting Tetsuya's bag down by the sofa as well as his own case.

"He didn't say," Kise said then turned for Tetsuya's room.

Akashi sighed mentally and silently cursed Mayuzumi for making him wonder what his demand was about-- the last time he made Akashi wonder was whether he and Tetsuya were real brothers or not and he wasn't all thankful for the silver head's cocky play.

Nevertheless, he took his phone out and started a call. The other picked up after the third ring and Akashi could picture the smirk on his face. "I knew I'd make you call as soon as possible," he said.

"What do you want?" Akashi asked.

"Is Tetsuya with you?"

Akashi's heart almost stopped. For the cyan-haired child, both adults had agreed to be civil towards one another and after a few visits from Mayuzumi every once or twice a year, they found that they actually enjoyed each other's company and that Mayuzumi had served as Akashi's big brother-- considering that he was three years older than the redhead and that they both had one goal-- to keep their little brother happy.

"No," he answered. If Mayuzumi wanted to talk to him without Tetsuya overhearing, it had to be something serious-- in this case, it might be because of Tetsuya's father.

"Good," Mayuzumi answered then breathe. "I'm coming home next week, but don't tell him. It's a surprise,"

Akashi kept silent. He had been updating Mayuzumi about Tetsuya and did not leave out the detail that Tetsuya had once come home, beaten up, and was looking for his father. The silver-haired adult shared the same hate Akashi had but couldn't bring himself to blame Tetsuya for looking for his bastard of a father. As Midorima said, it was a normal thing for a child his age to look for parents if he had grown up with only five older men and Tetsuya was smart enough to connect the dots and realize that he wasn't related to any of them except for Akashi being his adoptive brother.

Akashi cursed him. "You had me worried for nothing?" he asked, enraged. Though he was a bit glad that Mayuzumi was coming home-- he needed the extra help as he struggled himself with Tetsuya's question that had remained unanswered for a long time and he didn't know what he'd do if the child keeps on pursuing the topic.

Mayuzumi laughed on the other line and Akashi swore to himself that he'd hit the silver head once they meet again.

"When are you coming home?"

"Three days from now," Mayuzumi answered.

Akashi frowned and glanced at the calendar that was pinned at the kitchen wall. Kise had marked up the same day with a flight from the Philippines back to Tokyo and Mayuzumi had told him he was in the Philippines for a project just a few weeks ago.

"I heard that Kise is one of the best pilots in the country and I couldn't miss my chance to try a flight with him," Mayuzumi said.

"Don't let him hear you say that," Akashi said and vaguely remembered how he once praised Kise for his piloting and had the blonde bug him for a month non-stop-- even going too far and aimed a video recorder at Akashi's face and have him repeat his praise. He only stopped when Akashi threatened him to be kicked out of the mansion.

"So I guess I'll see you in three days?" Akashi said.

"And hopefully have our problem solved by the time I leave," Mayuzumi answered before ending the call.

"Hopefully," Akashi muttered.

"Nii-san," the cyan-haired child's voice called and had him turn to see Tetsuya, sleepily rubbing his eyes-- his hair sticking in all places and his clothes fully changed.

Akashi smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "Your bedhead is ridiculous," he said.

"Was that Chihiro-nii?" Tetsuya asked, burying his face on Akashi's waist and Akashi silently admired how Tetsuya had already reached up to him in just three years when Tetsuya just barely reached his knee at the age of five.

"Yes, it was," Akashi answered, combing Tetsuya's hair. "Was Ryota with you when you woke up?"

Tetsuya nodded. "He was trying to change my clothes and was shifting too much that he woke me up," he said, "But it's okay, I'm... not..."

Tetsuya stifled a yawn and made Akashi smile before continuing his sentence, "Not sleepy,"

"If you say so," Akashi said, "We still have a few more time before the others arrive. How about we do a small review since you didn't go to school today?"

Akashi knew that Tetsuya was trying hard not to frown and he couldn't blame him, he knew how kids dreaded study time and as much as Tetsuya was an obedient little brother, there still were times where he wasn't in the mood to study at all.

But before Akashi could even open his mouth and try to convince him, just like how his mother used to do, Tetsuya had turned and went to Akashi's office which had been Tetsuya's study area as it had fewer distractions.

***

"Murasakibara, stop eating while walking, it's unsanitary and improper," Midorima scolded the purple-haired chef while they, along with Akashi, Aomine and Tetsuya, walked towards the arrival bay of the airport.

It was the day Mayuzumi comes back but they all had kept it a secret from Tetsuya as a surprise. It was a good thing that he was in the flight Ryota was piloting so they had a reason to tell Tetsuya since the kid was asking Aomine too many curious questions like why were they picking Ryota-nii from the airport? Is it someone's birthday? Why didn't they do this often and would sometimes just wait until Kise arrives home?

He only stopped when Murasakibara spotted a candy store and told Tetsuya to come with him, this allowed Aomine to breathe out-- literally-- because he couldn't keep on lying to the kid especially since Tetsuya keeps on asking him questions so sudden it kind of catches him off guard.

"Aren't they still there yet?" Aomine asked, "It's just, what, a three-hour flight from the Philippines to Japan, right?"

"Yes but they might be experiencing air traffic," Akashi answered as he glanced at his phone to try and see if Mayuzumi has left him any message.

"Even the air has the traffic now," Aomine muttered.

"Akashi-cchi! Midorima-cchI! Aomine-cchi!" The familiar voice of their blonde pilot friend caused the three of them to turn and see Kise waving at them with his usual grin and Mayuzumi walking behind him-- his smile calm and collected as always.

"Finally!" Aomine said.

"You said you'd contact me the moment your plane lands," Akashi said as soon as they were an earshot away.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you and Tetsuya," Mayuzumi said then looked around. "Where is he anyway?"

"Nii-san!" Tetsuya called with a smile as he ran for Akashi but stopped at the sight before him. "C-Chihiro-nii?"

Mayuzumi smiled, glad to know that his surprise worked. "I'm home, Tetsuya," he said.

Tetsuya broke into a wide smile and launched himself up to the silver-haired man. "Chihiro-nii!" he said with joy and the other men watched and smiled at the exchange.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home?" Tetsuya asked as they decided to leave the airport-- Mayuzumi holding Tetsuya's hand.

"I wanted to surprise you," Mayuzumi said with a smile.

"Will you be here long? Are you finally on vacation?"

"I wish I could answer, buddy, but... I'm still not sure," Mayuzumi said then caught Akashi's eyes.

Aside from a project that he will be working on, another reason for Mayuzumi's arrival was to help Akashi with his crisis with Tetsuya. Akashi had called him one day and Mayuzumi couldn't forget how Akashi's voice waived as he told his story-- he was afraid-- an emotion Mayuzumi did not expect to see or hear from the redhead tyrant. He was afraid that he'd lose Tetsuya-- the same fear Akashi had when Mayuzumi arrived and tried to take the kid away.


	5. Fear

"Alright, let's get you tucked in and ready for your bedtime story," Mayuzumi said as he pulled the blanket up to Tetsuya's chest.

They had just come back from the airport and Tetsuya convinced him to sleep with him tonight after Akashi had him occupy the guest room at the mansion.

"What story would you like me to read, Tetsuya?" Mayuzumi asked, combing the silky blue strands of Tetsuya's hair.

"This one!" Tetsuya said, showing him a hardbound maroon book that looked like it belonged to Midorima.

"Where did you get that?" Mayuzumi asked with a smile and skimmed the contents of the book to see a compilation of poems.

"I borrowed it from Shintaro-nii," Tetsuya answered with a smile.

"But these aren't stories, Tetsuya, they're poems,"

"I know," Tetsuya answered. "We learned about them in school. They have rhymes in the end. But... they tell stories too, right, Chihiro-nii?"

Mayuzumi was actually astonished to hear Tetsuya speak when just a few years ago the only words Tetsuya could say was 'nii-chan' that was always addressed to Akashi. But now, after just three short years, words spill out of his mouth in truth and in curiosity, and Mayuzumi was impressed at how Tetsuya was as smart as Akashi had described him.

"Yes, they do," he answered with a smile before positioning himself to sit next to Tetsuya and opened the book.

He turned the pages and tried to find any entry on the compilation that would interest Tetsuya. He was halfway through the book when the child pointed at a certain page and said, "That one,"

The word _Voyage_ was in bold-italic that indicated the title of the five-stanza poem. Mayuzumi scanned through the lines about the author being on a voyage that would take him far from his beloved but promised his return one day.

Mayuzumi took a deep breath before he started to read the poem.

_"I take a step forward and felt my heart shatter_   
_Like how glass does in a noisy clatter_   
_Something heavy weighted me down_   
_And I felt like crying with a frown._

_I took another step and I heard her cry_   
_My heart shattering once more, I might die_   
_I couldn't look back, paralyzed on my feet_   
_As she called out and continued to weep._

_She asked me to come back to her_   
_Back in her arms and stay there forever_   
_But I had to take a step away_   
_My eyes on the horizon as I stood from the bay._

_I had to move forward and leave her behind_   
_Even though leaving would have me lose my mind_   
_I loved her very much but I had to go_   
_And I watched as, in her eyes, faded hope._

_'Goodbye, my love' I whisper to the winds_   
_Hope that it would carry to her and forgive my sin_   
_But I will return in her arms once more_   
_Hoping she'll still be there to open the door."_

Tetsuya smiled sleepily at the book as he rested his head on Mayuzumi's chest. "Do you want me to continue reading to the next poems?" Mayuzumi asked.

Tetsuya shook his head and Mayuzumi smiled as he put the book away and kept Tetsuya close to him as he hummed a lullaby to help him sleep.

"That man was sad for leaving his love behind, wasn't he, Chihiro-nii?" Tetsuya asked.

"Yes," Mayuzumi answered. "But he will return. He said so in the end, so it's not a sad ending,"

"Do you think Papa will do the same?" Tetsuya asked and Mayuzumi froze.

"Do you think Papa will come back?" Tetsuya asked and looked at Mayuzumi who was caught off guard by his question, "Do you think he'll come back with Mama too?"

"I-I... I can't say," Mayuzumi forced himself to answer and forced himself to recover from his shock.

"Mama told me I looked a lot like him," Tetsuya answered as he remembered the days where he stayed with his mother who used to hurt him and curse him for being born. "Do I look like Papa, Chihiro-nii? Have you seen him before?"

Before Tetsuya was born, his mother worked as a theater actress in their town and have captivated millions with her acting skills, but only had eyes towards a tourist who came to visit their town for business. They met and eventually fell in love and she had convinced the tourist to stay with her for good. Mayuzumi, at the time, had just graduated from college and was reviewing for his board exams when he received a call from his parents and asked him to come home.

That day, he saw his aunt-- broken and crying her eyes out in the arms of Mayuzumi's mother. She cursed the man she fell in love with after finding out that he was in another relationship and had left her for it. That was when Mayuzumi's mother offered her a place in their home since his aunt didn't want to go back to her house where she shared tons of memories with the man she once loved.

Everything went out well, until weeks later, and his aunt found out that she was pregnant with a baby from the same man that destroyed her heart-- she was pregnant with Tetsuya. Enraged, she wanted an abortion as she said it would only remind her of the man that ruined her. But Mayuzumi's mother convinced her to keep the baby and even offered that they'd adopt it once it was born.

Mayuzumi had never been so proud and happy the moment he heard Tetsuya's cries echoing through the nursery and he easily spotted the wailing baby boy with cyan-blue hair and eyes. But his and his parents' joy didn't reach his aunt-- the very mother of the said baby-- who looked down at the infant in both disgust and anguish.

 _"He looks a lot like his father,"_ were her first words to her baby, tears of bitterness trailing down her face.

"Yes... you look like him," Mayuzumi answered the child's question.

"Have you seen him before, then?"

Mayuzumi smiled, but it never reached his eyes. "It's getting late, Tetsuya, you should get some rest," he said and started to comb the child's hair to help him fall asleep.

"Chihiro-nii," Tetsuya called, his eyes heavy as he slowly welcomed sleep. "They will come back for me, right? Papa and Mama will come back home?"

Mayuzumi didn't answer and he was glad that Tetsuya had finally fallen asleep. He wouldn't have to lie to him that night.

A movement caught his eyes and Mayuzumi finally acknowledge the presence that had been hiding behind the barely closed door and overhears his conversation with his cousin. Mayuzumi slowly removed himself from Tetsuya and silently tucked him in bed before making his way out of the room to see Akashi leaning against the wall beside the door he had just come out.

Akashi had his head hung low as he took an interest on the ground, and he had a sort of vibe waving off of him-- a combination of anger, sadness, and confusion.

"How much did you hear?" Mayuzumi asked, closing the door behind him.

"Enough to know that being by his side is not enough for him," Akashi answered bitterly

Mayuzumi looked at him then sighed silently. "Have I told you that you can be pretty stupid for a businessman?"

Akashi opened his mouth to argue, but Mayuzumi beat him to it.

"Of course he's looking for his parents. He grew up seeing his mother for four years only to be shipped into your doorsteps as if he was a sort of package to be delivered," Mayuzumi answered. "Of course he'd start looking for them after seeing his classmates and friends able to spend their time with their family. Of course, he'd start asking questions without knowing how hard it might be to answer them. He will start asking and he will continue to ask unless you tell him the truth,"

"How am I supposed to tell him that?" Akashi asked, his voice wasn't raised but it had enough tone to let Mayuzumi know he had hit a nerve. "How am I supposed to tell him that his mother died when he moved away? That his father was somewhere around the globe and didn't want him? That he had a broken family? That the only ones who cared about him are me and you and the rest of the guys living under the very same roof?"

"Just how it is," Mayuzumi answered so calmly that it caught Akashi off guard. "Tell him how it is... he'll understand,"

"And if he doesn't?"

"Why does it feel like I know your brother more than you do?" Mayuzumi countered. "Tetsuya is a nice kid. He will understand,"

Akashi took a deep breath.

"You aren't worried about him knowing the truth, aren't you?" Mayuzumi guessed.

No, he wasn't. Akashi didn't mind telling Tetsuya what really happened to his mother, he didn't mind telling him that his father left just before he was born, he didn't mind telling him that the only family the boy has was him, Mayuzumi, and the rest of the gang.

He worried that if the time comes, and his father decides to come back and take him away-- like how Mayuzumi tried once-- Tetsuya might come with him. He was afraid to lose him again... to see him walk away before his very eyes... to have no right to keep him... to just watch and cry for him to come back-- like how the woman in the poem did.

What will he do if Tetsuya doesn't choose to stay with him?

"Akashi," Aomine's voice brought him back to reality and they both looked at Aomine who held a folder in his hands.

"You should rest," Akashi told Mayuzumi then walked towards Aomine where they started discussing matters in a hushed tone as they moved to Akashi's office.

Mayuzumi looked at the redhead and heaved out a sigh, "You aren't related by blood but you prove your brothers by being both annoyingly stubborn," he muttered to himself before going back inside Tetsuya's room.

***

_Tetsuya smiled up at him as they took a stroll in the park and Akashi had never been happy to see his little brother smiling. He was eating vanilla ice cream and was joining Akashi on a bench while they watched as the rest of the children played among the playground stationed at the park._

_"Are you happy, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked and the little boy broke into a grin._

_"I am, nii-san! Thank you!" he said, licking the frozen sweet. "But you know... I'll be happier with Papa,"_

_Akashi tore his gaze from the view in front of them and down at the cyan-haired child that sat next to him. "What?" he asked, his heart beating in his chest._

_"Tetsuya!" an unfamiliar voice called and Akashi looked ahead. A man older than Akashi was stood at the other side of the park-- his blue hair resembled Tetsuya's as well as his eyes. He smiled at the child beside Akashi and held out a hand. "Come, Tetsuya, let's go home,"_

_Akashi's eyes widened and made a move to stop Tetsuya from standing up. But he was already gone from his seat, his frozen treat already forgotten and was now on the dirty ground._

_"Nii-san," Tetsuya's voice caught his attention, and saw his brother up ahead, holding hands with the man he awfully resembled with. He was smiling at Akashi who gaped at him. "I'm going home now. I'm going home with Papa,"_

_Akashi stood. "No," he whispered and ran after them but he never got close as they continued to walk away from his sight. "No! Tetsuya! No, please! Don't leave! Come back! No! Don't take him! No!"_

In his bed, Akashi gripped his sheets as his brows furrowed and his lips formed a frown while his eyes were shut closed. "Tetsuya..." he whispered, tears escaping his eyes as he dreamed of his brother leaving him behind-- just like how his mother did.


	6. Questions

"Now remember, everyone! We will be having a show and tell on our Family Day next month, so be sure to remind your parents about the date so they can find the time to come with you," Their teacher, Yumi-sensei, reminded them when it was just a few minutes before their classes end.

"Sensei! Sensei!" a student called, raising his hand, and catching everyone's attention. "What about Kuroko-san?"

Tetsuya stilled at the mention of his name.

Yumi's cheery smile faded. "Mitsuko-kun, it's not nice to tease," she said, "Remember that everyone, okay? No matter what you still have to be friendly to each other,"

A collective answer of 'Hai' was to be heard from the students.

"It's alright, sensei," Tetsuya said with a smile. "Nii-san told me to not mind them,"

Yumi smiled at Tetsuya and she wondered how such a wonderful boy would lose his parents at a young age with his older brother left to take care of him.

She remembered when Tetsuya first arrived at their school with the president of the Akashi Corp. beside him with the principal guiding them to her classroom. Yumi was left gaping at the handsome young redhead who stood there with confidence and power, only then did she met Tetsuya whom he introduced to be his brother-- complete opposites if you'd ask her, as Akashi stood with power while Tetsuya stood there beside him and smiled at her bashfully.

That was when the principal called her in her office the day her class ended and she was clarified with the situation-- Tetsuya suffered a traumatic childhood that caused him to have separation anxiety and would shy away from strangers. Feeling sorry for such a lovely kid, Yumi swore she'd do her best as a teacher to try and help him adjust to his new environment and the redhead businessman who radiated power smiled at her gratefully and she suddenly didn't see a powerful tyrant before her, but rather a young man who loved his younger brother very much and would do anything to keep him safe and be able to live a complete and normal life.

***

Three students approached Tetsuya after class as he packed his bag and prepared to leave the room. Yumi had to run to do a class report so she left ahead, trusting that her students would not make any fuss and would carry on with their own businesses and go home-- unfortunately, she was wrong.

"Ne, Kuroko-kun!" A boy named Mako said as Yoshi and a third boy named Kiro stood behind him. "You aren't coming to Family Day, aren't you?"

Tetsuya cocked his head in confusion, "I am, why do you ask?" he answered.

"You can't go!" Yoshi said, who seemed to have not learned his lesson from the trip to the principal's office. "Only those with a family can go!"

"But I have--"

"Big brothers don't count!" Mako said, "You have to have a mother and father to attend the event,"

"And since you don't have either, you can't come," Kiro said.

"But I have a mother and father," Tetsuya mumbled.

"Ne, stop lying Kuroko-kun," Yoshi said, "You don't have a mother and father. They didn't even come to our meeting with the principal and only your brother was present then. Papa told me you don't have parents and that you only have your older brother and his friends with you,"

"T-that's not true!" Tetsuya argued, "My Mama and Papa are working far away, that's why... that's why they couldn't make it,"

"If that's true then we will see them on Family Day," Kiro said.

"If we catch you lying, we will tell on teacher and the others," Mako said and the three of them turned and left.

"But... I'm not lying..." Tetsuya mumbled to himself.

***

"Is that all that you're worried about, Ryota?" Akashi asked as he shared dinner with Tetsuya, Kise, and Murasakibara. Aomine and Midorima had called ahead to say that they will be home late from work since an accident happened earlier and had both of them busy with the same case, while Mayuzumi was out and discussing a project with a client.

"Y-yeah," Kise answered, scratching his nape in embarrassment. "Now that I thought about it, I don't think it's that much big of a deal, I guess,"

"I will take the day off for that day and prepare a special dinner," Murasakibara said.

"You really shouldn't bother, Murasakibara-cchi!" Kise said, his cheeks tinged pink. "I can cook myself and if you'll be busy at the restaurant then--"

"It's fine," Murasakibara said, "They can handle a day without me,"

Kise had come home a bit troubled that day and had only spilled the beans when dinner time came. Apparently, his parents called him to tell him that they-- along with his two older sisters-- would come and visit him since their parents weren't home often and had been traveling around and enjoying retirement.

Akashi thought that it was something more serious but being friends with Kise, he knew his struggles towards his parents. His sisters were okay but they couldn't do anything to defend their youngest sibling once their parents start talking-- even they, as friends, couldn't do anything. They had a bad habit of comparing Ryota towards others, especially to his friends despite his success of being a pilot and the yellow-haired idiot kept on smiling and saying it was fine and that he was used to it, but deep down, Akashi knew that it bothered Kise so much.

"I can't promise I'll be joining you," Akashi said, "But feel free to use the house to your extent, just don't forget to put Tetsuya to bed on time. I have a scheduled meeting that day and I can't really say how long it will be,"

"Thank you, Akashi-cchi!" Kise said with a smile. However, Akashi had laid his eyes on Tetsuya who barely touched his food and had been spacing out.

"Tetsu-chin," Murasakibara called, snapping Tetsuya out of his thoughts. "You haven't touched your dinner, are you feeling alright?"

Akashi saw how Tetsuya pushed his thoughts out of the way and clouded them while he smiled at Murasakibara with his usual smile. "Yes, Atsushi-nii," he answered, "I'm just not that hungry,"

"Why?" It was Akashi's turn to ask, "Did something happen?"

Tetsuya shook his head immediately, but Akashi could tell that he was lying. "I think I ate too many sweets earlier," he answered.

"Ne, Murasakibara-cchi, you should have a limit with how many snacks and sweets you provide Tetsuya-cchi," Kise told the purple-haired chef. "It's not healthy for him to continue eating sweets like that,"

"Haaai," Murasakibara answered lazily. "But you should at least try and take a few bites, Tetsu-chin,"

Tetsuya smiled and started eating, only to stop after a few spoonfuls and declare that he was already full-- only finishing a quarter of his dinner.

"Come on and let's run you a bath," Akashi said, as he stood up and offered a hand to Tetsuya as Kise and Murasakibara proceeded to clean up the table after them.

Akashi led Tetsuya to the bathroom and have him take a quick warm bath before proceeding to his room to change into his pajamas.

"Is there something the matter, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked as he dried Tetsuya's hair and noticed how awfully quiet his brother has become tonight.

"N-nothing," Tetsuya answered, "I'm just sleepy,"

Figuring that Tetsuya didn't want to talk about what was bothering him, Akashi figured to just let the matter go since he doubts his little brother would talk to him about it.

"Why don't you try and pick your bedtime story for tonight," Akashi said with a smile as he hung Tetsuya's bathrobe to dry.

When he turned back to Tetsuya, no storybook was presented to him. "Don't you want me to read to you?" Akashi asked.

Tetsuya shook his head then raised his arm and Akashi couldn't help but smile when he remembered how Tetsuya used to do the same thing whenever he demands to be picked up when he was younger. However, today, Tetsuya didn't demand to be picked up-- but to have Akashi by his side tonight.

Akashi wrapped his arms around his little brother and had him rest on his chest while he affectionately ruffled Tetsuya's hair. "Are you sure you're alright, Tetsuya? You're awfully silent today. Did something happen at school?"

He knew that a single trip to the principal's office won't be enough to make his bullies stop, but if Tetsuya refused to talk then he can't do anything about it and just try to get him to talk.

"Nii-san," Tetsuya called after a few moments of silence, "Do you have a mama and papa?"

Akashi knew that the question was coming and it only strengthened his guess that Tetsuya was still being bullied at school. "Yes, I do," he answered.

"Where are they?"

Akashi smiled sadly. "My mother is already in heaven," he said, "She left me to be an angel when I was just about your age,"

"Did she love you?"

"Very much," Akashi answered, his most memorable childhood flashed before his eyes. "And I loved her so much,"

"Why did she leave?"

"She got sick..."

"How about your father?" Tetsuya asked, looking up at Akashi and he momentarily stopped combing Tetsuya's hair.

"The same thing," he answered. He couldn't say his father went to heaven with her-- he wasn't an awful father, but he wasn't a very good one as well. He barely had time for Akashi when he was still alive and his idea of 'fun' and 'bonding' was to shove back to back lessons and practices for his only heir. Sure, he admits he's a little angry at him for making his life a living hell... but without him, he wouldn't meet Tetsuya in the first place.

"Do you love him?"

Akashi felt a lump in his throat. Does he love his father? It was something Akashi didn't give much thought about. He never really came across the thought even after receiving the news of his father's death. He didn't even cry during his funeral and held the same power his father trained him to have whatever situation he was put into-- a true Akashi.

"Why are you asking these questions, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

"I just wanted to know something..."

"What is?"

Tetsuya bit his lip, hesitating if he should continue with this conversation or shy away from Akashi. "If... if my Mama and Papa loved me too,"

"Of course they do," Akashi said and he hoped that Tetsuya would be able to forgive him for lying like that.

"Then... then why did they leave?" Tetsuya asked, "Why did... why did Mama send me away?"

Akashi bit the inside of his cheek. Great, now he was stuck answering impossible questions that Tetsuya throws at him.

He forced himself to smile and swiped a stray hair out of Tetsuya's face. "Go to sleep, Tetsuya," he said.

If Tetsuya noticed how he evaded the question, he didn't say anything and Akashi was kind of relieved that the kid didn't push him further with questions he-- Akashi-- don't have any answers to. "Goodnight, nii-san," Tetsuya mumbled and closed his eyes while Akashi wrapped his arms around him and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight, Tetsuya," Akashi whispered before humming a lullaby to help Tetsuya sleep.

Akashi didn't notice that he fell asleep until he felt a blanket being pulled up to his shoulder and he carefully shifted his position, aware that Tetsuya was sleeping next to him and was still wrapped around his arms.

"Chihiro?" Akashi called after opening his eyes to see the silver-haired engineer tucking him and Tetsuya.

"I was actually surprised to see you here," Mayuzumi said, "I thought you were working late again,"

"Had a free time," Akashi answered.

Tetsuya mumbled something before shifting his position and turned his back on Akashi, still trapped in his brother's arms. Mayuzumi smiled down at Tetsuya.

"He asked me questions earlier," Akashi said, "Very hard ones,"

Mayuzumi kept his gaze on Tetsuya before sighing and moving away. "Kids ask very hard questions," he said, "But you have two ways of answering them-- lie and keep them blind... or tell them the truth before they find out and end up hating you for keeping the secret,"


	7. Visit

"Ryota-chan!" Kise's oldest sister, Ryuna Kise, greeted as soon as Kise opened that door for them when they arrived at the mansion. "I've missed you!"

"Me too, Ryuna nee-chan!" Kise said with a smile as he hugged his sister back.

"Moo! Ryo-chan! How about me?" his second older sister and middle child of the siblings, Ryoko Kise, said with a pout.

"I missed you too, Ryoko nee-chan!" Kise said and hugged her as well.

"Aah, Ryuchin, Ryochin, it's nice to see you again," Murasakibara greeted as he stood beside Kise, a lollipop in his mouth.

"Still into sweets, Murasaki-chan?" Ryoko said, "You might have cavities if you continue to do that,"

Murasakibara pouted. "I'm not a kid anymore, though," he said.

"Mama, Papa," Kise greeted with a smile and gave his parents both kisses on their cheeks.

"Aren't you going to invite as in, Ryota?" Kise's mother asked.

"A-ah! Of course!" Kise said then led them to the living room while Murasakibara prepared tea for them.

Kise's mother, Rin, was a very sophisticated woman and every part of her screamed elegance and beauty-- the very reason why he captivated Kise's father when they were younger. She was once a world-famous theater actress and even after her retirement she was still being swarmed by fans all over the world.

Kise's father, Yuichi, was a retired captain of a cruise ship-- he was the one Kise idolized and had the blonde pursue his dream of being a pilot. He was known to be strict-- a behavior that developed for being a captain that sails internationally. He and Rin met one day when the retired actress took a vacation and coincidentally rode the cruise ship he piloted-- they eventually fell in love and had three children-- Ryuna, Ryoko, and Ryota.

Being the only guy among the three of them, Kise was put under intense pressure to carry on the Kise bloodline. But his carefree attitude was something that his parents disapprove and despite the fact that he was already a successful pilot, they still looked down on him and belittle his life choices-- one being his choice to stay under Akashi's roof when he could very well own a house with his salary and lifestyle.

"S-so, Mother, how was France?" Kise asked when they took a sit on the sofa.

"It was nice," Rin answered, "Your father took me on a romantic date for our anniversary the other day before we went back here,"

"That's nice," Kise said with a smile.

"We also met a few beautiful maidens there," Yuichi said and Kise bit his tongue-- stopping himself from making a face at his father's statement.

"I see," Kise answered, keeping a smile.

"You're already twenty-six, Ryota," Rin said, "Turning twenty-seven this June and you still haven't introduced us to any maiden you find a liking to,"

Kise kept his smile, his fist clenched under the coffee table as Murasakibara arrived with a tray of tea for them.

"Mother, Ryoko, and I are planning to have a birthday party thrown for Ryota-chan," Ryuna interrupted, aware of the fact that their parents were at it again. "Right, Ryoko?"

"Y-yeah," Ryoko answered and Kise gave them a glance of appreciation. "We were thinking you might want to extend your vacation here until Ryota-chan's birthday so--"

"I'm afraid we can't," Rin answered. "Your father and I have already scheduled our flights and will be leaving for Amsterdam in two weeks,"

"I-I see..." Ryuna said.

"Amsterdam, huh?" Ryota said with a smile then took a sip of his tea. "That sounds fun, mother,"

"The house seems empty today, where are Seijuro-san and the others?" Yuichi asked.

"Akashi-cchi has a meeting and will be home late, Midorima-cchi and Aomine-cchi are on duty so it's only me and Murasakibara-cchi at home," Kise said.

"What did we told you about using that 'cchi'?" Yuichi said, annoyed. "This is why people often look down on you. You keep on honoring them as if you're not a renowned pilot,"

"Papa!" Ryoko called, attempting to silence her father.

"It's okay, Ryoko-nee," Kise answered with a smile. "It's just... I use cchi to those who I honor, and--"

Their attention was caught when they heard the front door closing and Kise glanced at the clock to see that it was time for Tetsuya to come home.

"We're home," Mayuzumi's voice rang as they heard footsteps approaching the lounge.

"Who is that, Ryota?" Rin asked.

"We're at the lounge Mayuzumi-cchi," Ryota called.

Hurried footsteps approached them and the cyan-haired kid dashed to the lounge, holding a piece of paper-- his latest artwork. "Ryota-nii, look! loo--"

He paled to see the unfamiliar guests that were with Kise and took a step back. "S-sumimasen," he mumbled, hiding his paper behind him.

"Kyaa! Who is this adorable little boy?" Ryuna asked in endearment.

"This is Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said as he stood up from his seat and approached Tetsuya, "He's Akashi-cchi's brother. Tetsuya-cchi, these are my older sisters and my parents,"

"Hello, cute little Tetsu-chan!" Ryuna squealed, "I'm Ryuna, Ryota-chan's eldest sister,"

"I'm Ryoko, Ryota-chan's other sister," Ryoko introduced herself.

"D-domo..." Tetsuya mumbled and bowed towards them in respect, "I-I am Tetsuya Kuroko. It's nice to meet you, onee-san's,"

"Ryota," Rin called, "You said this is Seijuro-san's younger brother, but didn't Masaomi--"

"Sorry, I didn't realize that your visitors have already arrived," Mayuzumi said as he entered the scene then bowed at the guests, "I'm Chihiro Mayuzumi, it's a pleasure to meet you all,"

Mayuzumi smiled at Ryuna who's cheeks started to turn pink.

"Mayuzumi-cchi, these are my parents and my older sisters," Kise said with a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you, madam," Mayuzumi said, placing a kiss on Rin's hand with a smile before moving to Ryoko and Ryuna and then shook hands with Yuichi.

Ryuna cleared her throat, trying to fan her blushing face. "Ryota-chan, how come you didn't mention him to us before?"

"Oh, it's because we just met him a few years ago," Kise said with an innocent smile, unaware of his sister's flustered face. "He's Tetsuya-cchi's cousin,"

"Does that make him Seijuro-san's cousin as well, then?" Yuichi asked.

"Kind of," Mayuzumi answered with a smile. "Well, if you'll excuse us, Tetsuya still has homework to do-- please carry on with your catching up activity,"

Mayuzumi flashed a smile at Ryuna who bashfully smiled back, causing Ryoko to snicker next to her, before leading Tetsuya to his room to change his clothes.

Aomine just arrived in the nick of time and caught up to dinner where Kise's family joined them, Midorima had called on ahead to say that he will be staying at the hospital for the night while Akashi was still stuck with his meeting.

"Delicious as always, Murasaki-chan," Ryoko said with a smile after taking a bite from her dinner.

"Thank you," Murasakibara answered with a lazy smile.

"So, Mayuzumi-san," Yuichi said, "You don't happen to be the same engineer Mayuzumi, right? Because I feel like I've heard your name before,"

"I actually am the same person," Mayuzumi answered.

"Wow, so you're _the_ Chihiro Mayuzumi?" Ryuna asked who was seated next to him (courtesy of Ryoko).

"I honestly do not like bragging who I am, but yes," Mayuzumi said.

"I have to say it is bewildering how someone with such a famous name is sitting with us as if he is just like any other person," Rin said.

Mayuzumi gave them a confused look. "Well... don't you feel the same thing whenever you're with your son?" he asked, making Kise freeze. Mayuzumi had no idea how Kise's parents treat him and none of them had briefed him about it.

"What do you mean?" Yuichi asked.

"Well, Kise is a world-renowned pilot, isn't he?" Mayuzumi said, "I actually experienced flying with him and I have to say it was the most comfortable ride that I had,"

"Well, yes, he is great," Rin said, "But you, you're Chihiro Mayuzumi-- your name is famous!"

Kise bit his lip.

"Not as famous as Kise, I guess," Mayuzumi answered, making Kise look up in astonishment.

"All those fame and your feet have never left the ground," Yuichi said with a smile, "I like that kind of guy,"

"I'm flattered," Mayuzumi said, "But what I say is the truth. I mean, your son has been on the cover of magazines nationwide alongside Seijuro Akashi and me. You can't say that you're not proud of his achievement, am I right?"

Kise's eyes were wide as he gaped at Mayuzumi, the same goes for the rest of the people sitting at the table-- except Tetsuya who was busy cutting his steak.

"Here, Tetsuya, let me do it for you," Mayuzumi offered and started cutting Tetsuya's steak.

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence-- if there was a conversation involved, it would be from Ryoko and Tetsuya who seemed to be growing close together as Ryoko was fond of children.

After dinner, Ryuna took up the courage to talk to Mayuzumi in private. "Hey, I just wanted to thank you for what happened at dinner," she said with an apologetic smile.

Mayuzumi smiled back. "No problem," he answered.

The next few minutes were filled with a delicate awkward silence as they watched Ryoko enjoyed a game of rock-paper-scissors with Tetsuya.

"Your sister is fond of children," Mayuzumi broke the ice.

"Y-yeah," Ryuna said, "She and Ryota are the closest despite the great age gap. I think it's because she always had a way with kids and kids at heart,"

Mayuzumi chuckled. "I can see that," he answered.

***

"I had fun playing with you, Ryoko-nee," Tetsuya said with a smile as Ryoko hugged him goodbye while Ryuna and their parents waited by the door.

"Me too," Ryoko said with a smile as he lightly squeezed the cyan-haired child. "I'll try to visit again so we can play,"

Tetsuya smiled. "I'd like that,"

"Have a safe trip home, Ryu-nee, Ryo-nee, Mama, Papa," Kise said with a smile as he hugged them.

"We had a wonderful night, Ryota-chan," Ryuna said with a smile as she hugged Kise.

"I'm sure, Ryuna-nee-chan enjoyed her night," Ryoko said, flashing a teasing smile at Ryuna who blushed furiously.

A tensed silence welcomed the mansion once the Kise family had left the premises-- Murasakibara turned in early as he will be on duty early in the morning for the next day while Aomine ran a bath for Tetsuya.

Mayuzumi spotted Kise by the kitchen counter, a bottle of wine nearby as well as a half-empty wine glass. "You know, drinking alone isn't as fun as drinking with a company," Mayuzumi said, causing Kise to glance at him before glaring back at his wine glass.

"Mind if I join?" Mayuzumi asked.

Kise flashed him a smile-- a strained one. "Not at all," he answered and Mayuzumi moved to get himself a glass before pouring in some wine and they proceeded to drink in silence.

"Thank you, by the way," Kise said, making Mayuzumi look at him. "For standing up for me during dinner,"

"Your parents are lovely people," Mayuzumi said, taking a sip on his glass.

Kise chuckled, but his smile did not reach his eyes.

"So when are you planning to tell them?" Mayuzumi asked, making Kise stop and look at him in shock. "Your sisters don't seem to know it as well,"

Kise snorted. "Please," he said, then took a sip from his glass. "My parents find it hard to accept that they have a failure for a child, what more do you think will they say once they find out the truth?"

Mayuzumi shrugged. "They'd banish you, I guess,"

"Banish is an understatement," Kise said, "They'd kill me if they find out,"

Mayuzumi clapped his back. "How would you know if you haven't tried telling them?"

"I'm their only son," Kise said, "The only one who can continue their bloodline... they'd go ballistic once I tell them that I'm... I'm..."

"I don't see anything wrong with that," Mayuzumi said.

"That's because you're not in my shoes,"

"Who says we need to be in your shoes to know what you feel?" A new voice entered the scene, making Kise whip his head around to see Aomine and Murasakibara standing by the archway to the kitchen.

"You should know," Aomine said, "That if your parents would push you away once they find out, we'll be by your side-- like we always have,"

"We're your friends, Kisechin," Murasakibara said, "If that's not enough then you can call us your family,"

"Aomine-cchi... Murasakibara-cchi..." Kise whispered then rubbed his eyes, attempting to remove the tears that glistened his eyes.

"Idiot," Aomine said, clicking his tongue in annoyance, "Do you think we'd hate you once we find out?"

Kise bit his lip and continued to rub his eyes as tears started to flow out from them continuously. "Minna..." he choked.

Mayuzumi smiled as Aomine clapped Kise's back and Murasakibara ruffled his hair. Nearby, Tetsuya stood with a smile on his face and a paper in his hand. Earlier at school, they were instructed to write who they think was their own personal hero and while the rest of the children wrote their father's or big brothers, Tetsuya wrote Kise's name.

_Kise-nii is the strongest person I know because he still kept on smiling and kept on making us smile even though he looks sad sometimes. He's my hero and even though he's not as big as Atsushi-nii or as smart as Shintaro-nii, or as talented as Daiki-nii-- he's still as strong as them._


	8. Tales

"ACHOO!" Aomine sneezed loudly at the dusty attic he and Kise were assigned to clean. "Damn it, Kise! Stop dusting those rags! You're making me sneeze!"

"Well, how do you think will we clean them up if I don't dust them?" Kise whined.

"I don't know but stop waving them around like that!" Aomine complained. "Baka!"

"So mean!" Kise whined, "Why do we even need to clean up this dusty old attic? No one comes here anyway, it's full of spiders and creepy crawlers-- eew!"

Today was a holiday and they all agreed to do general cleaning around the mansion since Akashi stopped employing maids and butlers to do household work and had the whole gang clean the house every time the five of them had a day off together. Today was one of those days and Kise and Aomine were assigned to clean the attic, Midorima and Mayuzumi cleaned the garden, while Akashi and Murasakibara were all around the mansion sweeping and dusting.

Tetsuya, despite Akashi's objections to making him clean, tried to help them as much as he can by cleaning his own room and help Midorima and Mayuzumi outside.

"Just shut up and start cleaning or we'll be forced to sleep here if Akashi spots us slacking around," Aomine stated and started rummaging through the junk stacked a the attic.

"I wasn't slacking around, you are!" Kise said and started to dust the rest of the attic.

"Kise-nii? Daiki-nii?" Tetsuya called and they both spun in surprise to see him up in the dusty attic with them.

"Tetsu, what are you doing here?" Aomine asked, "You have to get out, it's dusty here,"

"I want to help," Tetsuya said.

"No need, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said with a smile as he held a duster. "Aomine-cchi and I can do this ourselves,"

"Please?" Tetsuya said, "Shintaro-nii and Chihiro-nii are already done tending the garden and nii-san won't let me help him and Atsushi-nii and I really, really, really, really want to help,"

Aomine and Kise exchanged looks and sighed. Four years staying with them, and they still can't figure out how to say no to the cyan-haired child.

"Alright, Tetsuya-cchi, but you have to find something to cover your nose and mouth with because the attic's pretty dusty," Kise said.

Tetsuya broke into a smile and dashed outside the attic to come back with a handkerchief that looked belonged to Mayuzumi. Aomine proceeded to tie the handkerchief around Tetsuya's head, covering his nose and mouth but not too tight to let him breathe normally while he helped them clean.

"Okay, your job will be simple," Aomine said then pointed at the dusty old bookshelf that was resting by the wall of the attic. "Take those books out and start wiping the dust off, before putting them back in the bookshelf,"

"Okay!" Tetsuya answered and did his assigned task, stopping a few minutes to try and read what the books were all about-- most of them contained old business proposals and other papers that belonged to Masaomi Akashi.

But one tattered black leather notebook caught Tetsuya's attention and after wiping the dust off of it, he decided to keep it and have Midorima read it to him tonight.

They finished cleaning the house at dusk and were exhausted to the bones so they decided to eat dinner to be able to rest early.

As scheduled, Midorima was assigned to tuck Tetsuya in for the night and after a quick shower, he asked Tetsuya to start picking a story for the night. But Tetsuya smiled at him and brought the notebook he found in the attic.

Midorima's eyes widened. "W-where... where did you find that?" he asked, shocked to see the very same notebook he had never laid eyes on since he was still a child.

"In the attic," Tetsuya answered, unaware of the green-haired doctor's astonishment upon seeing the tattered notebook. "I helped Daiki-nii and Ryota-nii clean the attic earlier and found this on one of the bookshelves, and-- Shintaro-nii? Are you okay?"

Midorima was still in shock about what he was seeing and couldn't help but remember when was the last time he saw that old thing.

_An eleven-year-old Midorima looked at a ten-year-old Akashi through his thick-framed glasses, a black leather notebook resting on his lap while Akashi lied on the grass, his hands rested below his head as the redhead admired the beautiful blue sky while Shintaro sat beside him._

_"What do you think?" Midorima asked, closing the notebook._

_"It's okay," Akashi answered, "But Taro seemed sad..."_

_"He isn't sad, nanodayo," Midorima answered, pushing his glasses._

_Akashi smirked. "Isn't he?" he asked then lied on his side to face his best friend._

_Midorima nodded. "Taro was a flower, he is expected to bloom when needed to and to wilt when the time comes," he said, "He should be happy he had a purpose,"_

_"But what about his dream?" Akashi asked, "What about his dream of being the sun? Of being the one to provide his fellow flowers the amount of energy they need to continue blooming?"_

_Midorima had been a weird and peculiar child-- always just behind the spotlight, observing. It was almost a miracle that someone like Akashi Seijuro would be friends with him. Everything about Akashi screamed power, while Midorima mostly looked like his personal assistant than his best friend whenever they're together. But Akashi understood his weirdness and found it enjoyable to be with Midorima and listen to his tales-- tales he himself wrote._

_Midorima came from a family of doctors and he was expected to be one in the future. But the child knew what he wanted to be when he grows older-- to be a writer, to be able to provide stories, to be people's escape from a harsh reality. Like the little flower named Taro, he wanted to be the sun in his own little tale called reality._

_The greenhead shrugged his shoulders. "Flowers cannot be sun after all," he said._

_Akashi frowned. "I don't like your story today," he said, "It sounds sad... as if he was trapped, as if he had no other choice; as if his fate was already written in the paper; as if he can't do anything to change who he is,"_

_"Can you tell me of any other way how can a flower be a sun?" Midorima asked._

_Akashi sat up and pointed at Midorima's head. "I'm supposed to be the realistic thinker here, and you're supposed to be the imaginative one," he said._

_Midorima didn't answer._

_"Are they forcing you again?" Akashi asked, "Is that why you decided to end your story with little Taro choosing his reality instead of making his own world?"_

_Midorima kept silent._

_Being born from a rich family is fun and all-- you had everything you need, you can have anything you want, you are bought things that catch your interest, and you don't have to worry about anything because everything is already provided for you. However, being born rich has a catch-- especially if you're an only heir like Akashi... or carrying a bloodline of doctors like Midorima. Both boys are expected to follow their fathers' steps the moment they were born and none of them could do anything about it._

_Akashi frowned. "Change the ending," he said, "I don't like it,"_

_"I've already finished it," Midorima said._

_"And I'm telling you as your only reader, I don't like the ending," Akashi said, crossing his arms. "Change it or I won't listen to your stories every again,"_

_Midorima spotted a black car driving up by the parking lot of the Akashi manor and knew that it was his ride home. He stood up and handed Akashi his notebook. "You change it,"_

_"I'm not a good writer like you, Shin,"_

_"Well if you wanted to change the ending then you do it," Midorima said, "Because I won't change the story if I had to do it all over again,"_

_"I'm not kidding, Shin," Akashi said, glaring up at his friend. "Change the ending or I won't listen to your stories ever again. Don't say I didn't warn you,"_

_Midorima smiled and held unto his notebook. "You don't have to listen anymore," he said, "Taro's story will be the end of my tales,"_

_Akashi could only gape at him as Midorima walked away and towards his ride home. He asked his chauffeur to stop as soon as he spotted a trash bin just outside the premises of the Akashi manor. He got out and threw his notebook away and got back in the car without a second glance._

_Years later, he was now one of the country's best trauma doctor there is and have saved millions of lives-- he chose his path to be a doctor and leave his dreams of becoming a writer like he used to want as a child. But none of his success brought Midorima a smile on his face because deep inside this wasn't the path he chose to take, it was a path that was laid out for him to walk-- the bitter reality of life._

***

Akashi did his usual rounds around the manor. Despite the whole day's work of running around and cleaning the house, he still felt restless and couldn't find sleep while the rest of his friends, as well as his brother, snored the night away.

He stopped at his tracks, though, when he spotted his best friend sitting by the kitchen island and looked like he was reviewing his notes. Akashi would've let the greenhead be if he hadn't spotted his old friend smile-- the kind of smile he used to do whenever he visits Akashi to tell him a new story, something he had stopped doing after Taro's tale ended.

He took a step closer and stopped when he found the same old notebook in Midorima's hand as the green-haired doctor read with a smile on his face.

"Do you have any idea how much pride I threw away just to get that out of the trash bin?" Akashi asked as he approached Midorima who whipped his head towards him when he talked.

"I didn't think you'd be dumb enough to actually dig in the trash just to get this old thing," Midorima said as he flipped through the pages carefully.

"Call me dumb one more time and you'll wake up bald tomorrow," Akashi threatened but Midorima couldn't help but smile at his best friend.

"Do you know who found this old thing in the attic?"

Akashi smirked. He didn't need Midorima to tell him who as he already know very well who it was.

He sat down next to Midorima. "So what's your plan?"

"What do you mean?"

"I told you, didn't I? I'd stop listening to your stories unless you change the ending in Taro's tale," Akashi said, "But that doesn't mean I wasn't waiting and god forbid I have waited long enough,"

Midorima didn't answer-- shocked that after all those years, Akashi still believed that Midorima's dream of becoming a writer would be a reality someday.

"You have me for your reader, and now it looks like you have Tetsuya too," Akashi said, "So what do you say? Is Taro's dream of being the sun still impossible for you?"

Midorima smiled.

"Don't dare change his name," Akashi said, "I like the name Taro, it's weird, it's different, it's unique. Kind of like that green-haired boy I knew since childhood who never stopped trying to live his dream through this tattered old notebook,"

Midorima snorted. "Who are you and what did you do to Seijuro Akashi?" he asked, causing the both of them to chuckle.

The next day, Akashi spotted Tetsuya looking through the archway to the kitchen as if he was watching someone.

"Tetsuya? What are you doing?" Akashi asked, wrapping himself in his robes and approached his brother. He stopped in his tracks to see a sleeping Midorima by the kitchen island-- his glasses resting on his hand and his head above his arms, his laptop sat by the island close to him with a word document open on the screen that read, _"Taro's Dream"_.


	9. Date Night

"S-so huge..." One teacher said as Murasakibara walked down the hallway of the school as he held Tetsuya's hand while holding a maiubo on the other.

Today, parents and guardians were called to the school to get their kid's report cards for the second grading of the school year. But Akashi was busy with business meetings and had asked Murasakibara to fetch Tetsuya's report card instead since Yumi-sensei knew all of Tetsuya's older brothers and would very much allow Murasakibara to proxy for Akashi during the parents' meeting.

"Ne, Tetsuchin, how much further is your classroom?" Murasakibara asked lazily.

"Ah! Kuroko-kun!" Yumi-sensei greeted as she got out of their classroom, "Perfect timing. Hello, Murasakibara-san,"

"Hello, Yumichin," Murasakibara said with a smile.

"I was just about to finish the distribution of the report cards before proceeding to the parent-teacher meeting," Yumi-sensei said, "You two can proceed inside while I just get some stuff in the faculty office,"

"Okay," Murasakibara answered and got inside.

"Kuroko!" Ogiwara called with a wide grin and tackled his best friend with a hug that almost lost his balance at the impact.

"Ne, Ogiwarachin don't do that unless you want Akachin to kill me," Murasakibara said.

"G-giant!" A kid yelped and caused the three of them to turn.

Murasakibara had already opened the door and was halfway inside the classroom when Ogiwara appeared. With his purple hair and a height of 208cm, everyone was quick to notice the giant chef that entered the room.

"Ne, Tetsuchin, why don't you wait for me outside?" Murasakibara said, aware of the gaping audience.

"We'll be by the playground!" Ogiwara said then pulled Tetsuya away, who barely had the time to protest.

Murasakibara took the farthest seat and ignored the stares of the other parents and guardians. He was used to the attention, being a huge guy, and he didn't care. If it was his choice, he would just get Tetsuya's report card and leave, but Akashi was worried about Tetsuya having bullies at school and asked him to try and talk about it with Yumi-sensei since he won't be around to ask her himself.

"Murasakibara-san," Yumi-sensei's voice brought him out of his musings as she smiled at him and handed him Tetsuya's report card.

"Arigato," Murasakibara said.

After the teacher-parent meeting, the rest of the crowd parted ways and headed on home while Murasakibara approached Yumi-sensei. "Yumichin," Murasakibara called the blonde teacher. "Akachin wanted me to ask you if Tetsuya was doing great at school,"

"Oh yes," Yumi answered, "Tetsuya is currently at the top of his class and is maintaining his grades very well,"

"Not that," Murasakibara said, aware of Tetsuya's performance at school. "I meant the bullies... are they still bullying Tetsuchin?"

Yumi's smile faded as she looked out the window and spotted Tetsuya by the swing with Ogiwara. "One trip to the principal's office won't make them stop," she said sadly, "But I am trying my best to protect Kuroko-kun, so you and the others won't have to worry much about him,"

"It's just... Tetsuchin doesn't like to talk about what bothers him because he doesn't like it when Akachin frowns and gets mad," Murasakibara said, "And even though we tried our best to be there for him, he keeps on shrugging us away and kept on saying that he's okay even though he's not,"

Yumi smiled at him. "You guys treasure Kuroko-kun very much, don't you?"

Murasakibara nodded. "Even though he's not related to Akachin by blood, they still are brothers and Tetsuchin is kind of like a little brother to me as well,"

"I'm glad to hear that," Yumi said then proceeded to arrange her things and bid the remaining parents goodbye.

"Yumichin," Murasakibara called after a short while and Yumi saw the purple-haired giant scratch his head, his eyes focusing on anything except his own, and his cheeks were tinged in light pink.

"Are you okay, Murasakibara-san?" Yumi asked, "You're a bit flustered,"

"I-I'm fine," Murasakibara said then handed Yumi an unopened Maiubo. "For taking care of Tetsuchin when's he's at school,"

Yumi looked down at the Maiubo then back up at Murasakibara. "T-thank you," she said as she took the Maiubo with a smile.

"Y-you're welcome," Murasakibara muttered then turned to leave, the pink tinge on his cheeks glowing to a bright red.

"W-wait, Murasakibara-san!" Yumi called, making the giant chef stop at his tracks.

"A-ano..." Yumi said, admiring the Maiubo the giant shared with her with a smile. "A friend and I planned to go watch a movie the day after tomorrow, but she suddenly couldn't make it because of work, and I've already bought tickets,"

Murasakibara looked at her, unsure of what she was trying to say.

"W-well..." Yumi said, her cheeks copying the blush on Murasakibara's. "I was wondering... if you're not busy... you and I can... uh-- if... if it's alright with you... maybe you-- we can..."

"Yumichin," Murasakibara called, his eyes not meeting her and the blush never left his cheeks. "You're doing it wrong,"

Yumi looked at him, dumbfounded. "W-what?"

Murasakibara scratched his nape. "Minechin... he told me that it should be the guy who would ask the girl out, not the other way around..." he said, "So... Yumichin... you're doing it wrong,"

"E-eh?" was the only word Yumi could reply to.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" Murasakibara asked.

Yumi could only stare at Murasakibara.

The first time they met, Yumi could only stare at Murasakibara and strained her neck to staring for so long. He was huge! He was the tallest man Yumi has met and she had plenty of male friends-- but his eyes were what caught her. Despite his lazy manner and his love for sweets, there was something in his eyes that attracted Yumi. Despite his massive build, he was extremely gentle with the cyan-haired kid-- a side Yumi didn't expect to see in him-- and that made Yumi fall even harder.

"Yumichin?" Murasakibara called again, snapping Yumi out of her thoughts.

"Five o'clock," Yumi answered.

Murasakibara nodded, his usual lazy smile plastered upon his face, but his eyes told a different emotion-- they were lit up as if he tasted the most delicious candy ever to exist.

"I'll pick you up at five," Murasakibara said, "Yumichin,"

"Aya," Yumi said.

"Hmm?"

"My full name is Yumi Aya," Yumi said with a smile, "You can call me Aya if you'd like,"

Murasakibara smiled. "Ayachin," he repeated, making Yumi giggle.

***

Yumi had a smile on her face despite the situation in front of her. Murasakibara was frowning as Kise grinned at him and held hands with a guy that had spiky-black hair and steel blue eyes and displayed a frown similar to Murasakibara's, behind them was the rest of Murasakibara's friends and Tetsuya that smiled back at her.

"Forgive us for interrupting your date," Midorima said, "But it just so happened that Akashi had made a plan to treat Tetsuya for being top of his class that coincidentally fell on the same day as your date with Murasakibara,"

"Coincidentally my ass," Murasakibara grumbled.

"Don't worry, Yumi-san," Akashi said with a smile, "We won't get in your way,"

Yumi shook her head. "No it's fine, really," she said, "I was just not expecting the lot of you to arrive at my doorsteps like this,"

"Sensei," Tetsuya called, unaware of what was happening in front of him. "You'll be joining us at the celebration?"

"No, Tetsu, she and Murasakibara are-- ack!" Aomine was unable to finish what he was saying as Murasakibara reached over and smacked his head.

"Satsuki-nee can't come because she's too busy at the daycare," Tetsuya said, "Is that why Atsushi-nii invited you along?"

"E-eh? Y-you could say that," Yumi said with a smile.

"Aah! Yumicchi!" Kise said with a wide grin, "Let me introduce you to Yukiocchi, my boyfriend!"

Ever since Kise spilled the beans about his sexuality, he had not been ashamed to have dates with his not-so-secret boyfriend, Yukio Kasamatsu, any more and none of his friends mind it as well, even Tetsuya didn't mind Kise and Kasamatsu holding hands in public.

"I can introduce myself!" Kasamatsu said then bowed at Yumi, "A pleasure to meet you, I apologize for this idiot blonde beside me. I don't know what he's so excited about,"

Yumi giggled. "It's alright, it's not Kise-san if he's not that excited,"

"So, shall we go?" Akashi asked.

"Oh yes, of course," Yumi answered then smiled at Murasakibara who looked away and blushed.

They arrived at the mall in the nick of time with Tetsuya riding in the Akashi's car with Midorima, Murasakibara, and Yumi while Kise, Aomine, Kasamatsu, and Mayuzumi rode in Kise's car. Since it was a day about Tetsuya, Akashi decided to bring the child to the toy store and have him pick nine toys he wanted to buy.

"Don't you think that's a lot?" Aomine asked.

"Not really," Akashi said with a smirk. "I mean, Tetsuya outsmarted nine of his classmates and claimed the first place so I think buying him nine toys is a reasonable number,"

"One toy for every student he outsmarted," Mayuzumi said then smirked. "You're spoiling him too much,"

"It's just a reminder for him to keep his place at the top," Akashi said then followed Tetsuya who was already skimming through the shelves.

"Ayachin," Murasakibara said as he scratched his nape in embarrassment, "I'm sorry. I didn't know Akachin and the others would insist on going with us,"

Yumi smiled. "It's alright," she said, "Besides, this way it's more comfortable for us. I actually planned to bring a friend as well but it was so short notice that none of them were available to come with me,"

"Yeah, well group dates are better than secluded ones during the first months of dating," Aomine butted in, causing Murasakibara to throw him a glare.

Aomine smirked then inched away from the awkward couple, feeling the death glare Murasakibara was throwing him.

"Stop teasing them," Midorima said.

"I'm not," Aomine frowned, "I'm trying to help him start a conversation with her! If he keeps on shying away like that, she'll end up getting bored,"

"Ne, ne! Isn't that Seijuro Akashi?" Their attention was caught when a group of sales ladies peeked through the toy aisle to get a look at the redhead tyrant.

"Eh?!" The second saleslady said, " _The_ Seijuro Akashi?!"

Of course, wherever he went, Akashi was famous-- being included in one of the most successful bachelors in the country as well as one of the youngest successful businessmen there is.

"Who's that kid with him?" the third one asked.

"Maybe his cousin?" the second one answered.

"Nii-san, I want this one!" Tetsuya said as he took a robot action figure that was merchandise from Tetsuya's favorite cartoons.

Akashi smiled at him, unaware of the talk around him. "Alright, you still have seven toys to pick,"

"Can we buy a sketchpad instead?" Tetsuya asked.

"Nii-san?" the first saleslady said, "I didn't know Akashi-sama had a brother,"

"Neither do I," the second one said.

Aomine cleared his throat, catching the salesladies' attention. "You know, we can hear you very clearly and we can also report you to your supervisor," he said, making the ladies pale.

"We'd appreciate it if you'd mind your own business," Midorima seconded, "And just carry on with your work rather than gossip around,"

"H-hai!" the ladies said in unison and walked away.

Like Akashi, the rest of them hated it when people questions their relationship with the cyan-haired child-- especially now where Tetsuya was starting to ask difficult questions about his family.

After buying Tetsuya's toys and art materials, they decided to go to the arcade with Murasakibara and Yumi separating from them since they planned to watch a movie at the time.

"Remember, Murasakibaracchi, be gentle!" Kise whisper-yelled at the giant.

"Offer your jacket if she's cold!" Aomine added.

"Hold her hand if it's a scary movie, they like it when you hold their hand," Kise said.

"If you're placed at the balcony, better. There are a lot of actions there and-- ack! A-Akashi!"

This time, it was Akashi who hit the blue-haired police officer for giving Murasakibara such a suggestion as they all knew very well what happens in the balcony section inside the theaters.

"Don't listen to them, Atsushi," Akashi said, "Go on,"

Murasakibara pouted his cheeks in a flaming red blush. "Geez, you guys are so embarrassing," he grumbled before catching up with Yumi who was already buying their tickets for the movie.

The rest of the group waved goodbye to the giant and his date with an agreement that they'd wait for them to finish their movie while passing time at the arcade as they arrange that they'd eat dinner there for the finale of Tetsuya's celebration.

"Ayachin," Murasakibara said when he and Yumi had already seated inside the theater. "Are you cold?"

Yumi shook her head with a smile. Thankfully, she chose a romance genre movie instead of a horror/thriller genre because it saved Murasakibara the chance to hold Yumi throughout the movie-- even though this was the first date he had, he knew that holding hands on the first date night was too fast and could end up being an awkward matter between him and Yumi.

"Ayachin," Murasakibara called again, his cheeks tinged in pink blush. "You said you already bought tickets for the movie..."

Yumi blushed and averted her gaze. "D-did I?" she said.

Murasakibara nodded.

Yumi bit her lip. "I guess I lied," she whispered, loud enough for Murasakibara to hear.

"E-eh?" Was the giant's only response to her statement.


	10. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you continue reading, Please take note that the confrontation scenes about to happen in this chapter are for dramatic purposes ONLY. I have nothing against teachers or those who are taking the field of education. I do not wish to offend anyone as I know how hurtful and hard it is when people belittle the path you chose to take. (〒︿〒)

"So how was the film?" Akashi asked as they started walking to the parking lot for their dinner date as soon as Murasakibara and Yumi got out of the theatre.

"It was good," Murasakibara said, "The ending was kind of disappointing, though,"

"I see,"

"Nii-san," Tetsuya called, tugging Akashi's shirt.

"What is it Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

"Are Ryota-nii and Yukio-nii fighting?" Tetsuya asked.

Akashi frowned and glanced at the couple who were walking ahead. They didn't display any sign that they were fighting and were talking casually as they walked side by side. "No, why do you ask?"

Mayuzumi glanced at the siblings, hearing their conversation.

"A-ano... they're not holding hands anymore," Tetsuya pointed, "Earlier when we were at Yumi-sensei's house Ryota-nii was holding Yukio-nii's hand. But when we arrived at the mall, they weren't holding hands anymore. So... so I thought..."

And then it dawned on Akashi-- since Kise and Kasamatsu's relationship was a secret, they had to act as if they were just friends, therefore holding hands and flirting were off-limits when they're in a public place since Kise has quite a famous name. Akashi glanced at Mayuzumi who heard Tetsuya's assumption, silently asking for help.

"They're not fighting," Mayuzumi said, catching Tetsuya's attention. "Some people... uh... they just don't like seeing boys hold another boy's hand,"

"Why?"

Mayuzumi and Akashi shared a glance-- how were they going to explain the situation that not everyone was comfortable with people having a relationship with others of the same gender?

"Tetsuya," Akashi called, "You remember Yoshi right? How he... how he hurt you when he didn't understand your situation about... about your parents?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"Well... it's the same with Kise and Kasamatsu," Akashi said, "Not everyone understands why Kise and Kasamatsu hold hands... so... to avoid any trouble, they refrain from holding hands. They wouldn't want to ruin your day since it's supposed to be a celebration, right?"

"But... why is it okay for you to hold my hand, nii-san?" Tetsuya asked.

Akashi gulped, not having an answer to his question.

"If... if I hold Ryota-nii and Yukio-nii's hands... will it be okay?"

Mayuzumi smiled. "Of course," he said, "You can hold their hands for them,"

Tetsuya smiled and let go of Akashi's hand then ran up to Kise and Kasamatsu-- holding both men on each of his hands and caught them by surprise.

"Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise asked, "What's wrong?"

Tetsuya looked up at Kise and Kasamatsu with a smile. "Chihiro-nii said you can't hold hands because some people won't understand why you hold hands... so I'll hold your hands, Ryota-nii, Yukio-nii, so you won't be lonely,"

"L-lonely?" Kasamatsu asked.

"Ryota-nii, I'll hold your hand for Yukio-nii," Tetsuya said with a smile, "And I'll hold Yukio-nii's hand for you. Just imagine your holding each other's hands and not mine,"

Both men were left speechless and Kise was the first one to recover as he smiled down at Tetsuya. "You really are something special, Tetsuya-cchi,"

***

"Welcome, Chef!" the host of the restaurant greeted Murasakibara as he entered his restaurant along with the group, "We've already reserved the function hall for you,"

Murasakibara nodded to the host and allowed her to lead them to the function hall. The restaurant was packed tonight-- as it always was every time they open-- but it was nothing that his staff couldn't handle.

"This place is very beautiful," Yumi said as she looked around with wonder then back at her dress. "If I know you'd take me to a restaurant this fancy, I would've worn better clothes,"

"But you're pretty whatever you wear," Murasakibara said, causing Yumi's cheeks to instantly heat up.

"Smooth," Aomine smirked, causing Midorima to hit him with his elbow. "Ack! What is wrong with you people hitting me?!"

"Good evening," their waiter greeted as he placed the menu on each seat. "I am Eiji and I'll be your waiter for this evening,"

"For starters, can you bring us the best bottle of champagne that you have?" Akashi asked before opening his menu board, "And vanilla shake for the kid,"

"Right away, sir," Eiji answered then turned to the kitchen.

"Yumi-san," Akashi called, "Is it really alright for you to join us? I mean, wouldn't you want to sit at a separate table with Atsushi?"

Yumi smiled at Akashi and shook her head, "Not, it's fine," she said, "I don't think it'll be right if we sit on a separate table while you guys have your fun here. I should be apologizing for gate crashing into your celebration,"

Akashi shook his head. "Tetsuya is happy that you're celebrating with us, and I am as well. You helped him get through a period despite... well, despite what's happening,"

Yumi smiled at Akashi before glancing at Tetsuya who was seated in between Kise and Kasamatsu and was laughing at something Kise said.

"Kuroko-kun is a very nice kid," Yumi said, "And when I took up teaching, I swore to myself that I'd protect all of my students-- that includes Kuroko-kun,"

"You must be very good with kids," Mayuzumi said.

"I can't really say," Yumi said bashfully, "I just like spending time with kids,"

Mayuzumi glanced Akashi a familiar gaze before speaking. "Say you want to tell a kid something-- something heavy... something... personal that he won't be able to understand as to how we understand it as adults... what will you do?"

Yumi thought for a minute. "It honestly depends on the situation," she answered, "Can you give me a scenario?"

"Say you have a child... but you're going through a divorce with your partner-- let's hope not in the future. How will you explain it to your kid?"

"Chihiro," Akashi called, his tone was an attempt to stop Mayuzumi from talking.

Yumi looked at Mayuzumi then at Akashi, silently connecting the dots. "W-well... that's pretty hard," she said.

"Will you tell him the truth?" Mayuzumi asked, ignoring Akashi's glare. "Or will you sugarcoat the situation?"

"Champagne's here," Murasakibara butted in, catching their attention as Eiji arrived with a bottle of champagne and wine glasses for everyone-- except for Tetsuya who gladly had a vanilla shake on a glass.

"Are you ready to order?" Eiji asked with a smile, bringing out his notebook and pen to take their orders down.

"Yes..." Akashi answered, glaring down at his menu-- unaware that Tetsuya was glancing at him in worry.

***

"Tetsuya, finish your dinner," Akashi said, his voice was a tone that indicated he was trying his hard to keep calm.

"But I'm full nii-san," Tetsuya whined.

"I'm not going to ask again," Akashi pushed further. He didn't mean to scold Tetsuya in front of everyone, but what Mayuzumi did was out of line-- he might be Tetsuya's cousin, but Mayuzumi gave Akashi every right to decide on Tetsuya's life too and it included whether or not does he tell the kid the truth as early as possible or not.

Tetsuya bit his lip and picked up his spoon then ate in silence. The rest at the table fell silent-- aware of the situation.

Akashi sighed silently, mentally slapping himself for letting his anger loose. He will apologize to Tetsuya after they arrive home. "If you're really feeling full, you don't have to force yourself," he said, more gently this time.

But Tetsuya shook his head-- the damage already done. "It's okay, nii-san," he mumbled and continued to eat in silence even after Kise tried to make the atmosphere lighter by talking to Tetsuya who became unresponsive after the scenario.

"Excuse me, chef?" Murasakibara's sue chef, Kazumi, called as he approached their table. "I'm sorry to disturb your dinner, but.. your parents are here,"

Murasakibara looked up, a bit surprised.

"T-they're looking for you," Kazumi said.

"Is everything alright, Murasakibara-san?" Yumi asked.

Murasakibara nodded, "I'll be right back," he said then followed Kazumi to meet his parents.

"Mama, Papa," Murasakibara greeted and kissed his parents' cheeks.

"We went to the manor and found that no one was home, Atsushi," Murasakibara's mother was a German woman with beautiful auburn hair and went by the name Leah, however, due to old age, the color of her hair had started to fade and white streaks have become visible-- but her eyes had a striking color of honey, but instead of warmth-- people tend to be intimidated by it.

His father, Masahiro, had Murasakibara's hair and eyes-- only darker. Both Murasakibara's parents were lawyers and had met by working against each other in a specific case many years before. Eventually, they found love and had four children, Kazuki being the eldest son, Haruto being the second born, Noriyuki being the third and only daughter, and Atsushi being the youngest among their children-- and the black sheep as they called him.

Like Midorima and Akashi, Murasakibara was expected to follow his parents' footsteps-- his older siblings obediently obliging and becoming successful in the field. But Murasakibara, as stubborn and hard-headed as he was, refused to follow his parents and siblings and made a dream of his own-- to open his very own restaurant.

Similar to Kise's situation, Murasakibara's parents loved belittling their youngest son in the hopes that he would finally give up on his dream and follow their desires-- but Murasakibara was just a stubborn guy and had ignored his parents' foul remarks about him and his job as a chef-- even though he literally owns a five-star restaurant and is close to extending branches along with the country.

"I was out celebrating with Akachin and the others," Murasakibara explained.

"Oh, so Seijuro is here?" Leah said, "Good, I want a word with him,"

Murasakibara's lips formed a thin line and urged Kazumi to carry on with his work as he escorted his parents to the function hall where his friends were.

"Leah-san, Masahiro-san," Akashi greeted as he gave Alexia a peck on her cheeks and shook hands with Masahiro. "What a pleasant surprise,"

"Yes, well... we went over to the manor for a visit but couldn't find you so we figured we'd ask Atsushi where you are," Masahiro said.

"I apologize," Akashi said, "I didn't think you'd be coming today,"

Leah looked down at Tetsuya, who was looking up at the old couple with curious eyes-- especially at Leah since she wasn't Japanese.

"Is this the boy you were talking about?" Leah asked.

"Yes, this is my brother, Tetsuya," Akashi said.

"D-domo..." Tetsuya greeted bashfully.

"If you'll excuse us," Akashi told his friends, "Please carry on with your dinner, this will just be quick,"

As Akashi and the old couple moved further to discuss some matters, Yumi turned to Murasakibara who was watching his parents with a frown.

"Those are your parents?" Yumi asked, "You didn't tell me you had German-blood. No wonder you're so tall,"

Murasakibara smiled lazily at Yumi. "I'll introduce you to them later,"

"Chihiro-nii," Tetsuya called, "What are they talking about?"

Mayuzumi glanced at Akashi who seem to have a serious conversation with Murasakibara's parents then at Murasakibara, himself, who seems to be aware of what they were talking about. "It's nothing, Tetsuya," he told the child.

After their little discussion, Murasakibara's parents had asked to go on ahead since their business with Akashi was done and they had no intention of staying any longer.

"Mama, Papa," Murasakibara said as he stood up from his seat, Yumi copying his actions. "This is Yumichin,"

"Y-Yumi Aya," Yumi said then bowed at the old couple with respect. "It's a pleasure meeting you,"

Leah looked at her from head to toe before speaking. "Pleasure," she said, though her tone didn't actually hint that she was glad to meet Yumi.

"She's Tetsuchin's teacher," Murasakibara said.

"A teacher?" Leah repeated.

"Y-yes ma'am," Yumi answered.

"You really have no shame for me and your father, Atsushi," Leah said, freezing everyone at the table. "First, you refuse to take up law and build your little restaurant, and now... you walk up to us and introduce us to this-- this... woman whose yearly salary doesn't even reach a quarter of yours,"

Yumi bit her lip and looked down in shame.

"This is what happens when we loosen the leash with your children," Leah said, "First it was Noriyuki being pregnant with a fatherless child, and now... you. Why can't you be a lot like your older brothers? Kazuki and Haruto are living the time of their lives working as lawyers like your father and me. I clearly don't see why--"

"That's enough," Murasakibara cut in-- his usual lazy tone was somehow harder and harsher that even his parents were surprised to hear it from him.

"E-excuse me?" Leah asked, clearly offended.

"I don't care if you keep on belittling me and my choices," Murasakibara said, glaring at his own mother. "But belittle Nori-nee and Yumichin is too much. You're both lawyers but you're treating them an injustice by being judgemental,"

"Atsushi, how dare you talk to your mother like that," Masahiro said.

"If you must know, Yumichin is the sweetest girl I have ever met and I don't care what you say about her," Murasakibara said, "I am dating her and I will continue dating her despite your objections,"

His parents looked shocked and his mother was the first one to recover by walking out of the restaurant-- a series of mumbles and whispers following her trail as the famous lawyer walked out in defeat, her husband following her trail.

Murasakibara heaved out a loud sigh. "Arguing with them is so troublesome," he muttered then looked at Yumi who still had her head bowed down. "Yumichin, I'm sorry if they belittled you... and... I'll understand if you don't want to have a date with me anymo--"

Yumi cut him off by placing a kiss on his cheek with a blush on her face. "Thank you for standing up for me," she said with a smile.

Murasakibara was left there, dumbfounded. It was the first time he received such a kiss, other than the ones his sister used to give him and he felt something in his stomach-- something fluttering-- while his heart skipped beats.

He would've stood there for the whole night if Aomine didn't insist to end the day and hit the sack since it was already getting late. Murasakibara and Yumi took a cab to Yumi's apartment while the rest of the gang headed home.

"I really, really enjoyed my time with you," Yumi said with a smile.

Murasakibara blushed. "M-me too," he answered.

"But it was kind of bittersweet, isn't it?" Yumi said, "We enjoyed the night, but Kuroko-kun didn't,"

Murasakibara frowned and nodded. "I really shouldn't tell you but..." he said, biting his lip in hesitation. Akashi made him swore to keep it a secret, but she was Tetsuya's teacher and was keeping an eye on Tetsuya for Akashi whenever the child is at school.

"You don't have to tell me if it's too confidential," Yumi said.

But Murasakibara shook his head. "Akachin found Tetsuchin's father,"


	11. Stranger

"We can take you home if they're still not here yet," Ogiwara offered as his mother came to pick him up from school while Tetsuya sat patiently and waited for his chaperon to arrive.

Unfortunately, it had been an hour since their classes ended and his chaperon should've arrived five minutes before like they always do. But today, none of the rainbow-haired males arrived on time and Tetsuya was left waiting by the school premises.

"No, thank you," Tetsuya answered with a smile. "I can still wait for them,"

"But... it's getting a bit late," Ogiwara said.

"I'll be fine, Ogiwara-kun," Tetsuya said with a smile. "I'll wait,"

"Are you sure?" Ogiwara asked.

"We can call your brothers to tell them that you're still here," Ogiwara's mother said.

Tetsuya smiled. "Thank you, Ogiwara-san," he said.

Unable to do anything about Tetsuya, the mother and son left him sitting alone by a bench by the school playground where Tetsuya usually waits for his chaperons to arrive. Yumi called a day off today and said she was sick and had asked the substitute teacher to accompany Tetsuya while she was gone-- unfortunately, the said teacher had an urgent errand and couldn't wait with Tetsuya.

"Mind if I join you?" A voice asked, causing Tetsuya to look up and see a man with azure hair and eyes looking down at him. He looked a few years older than Mayuzumi, considering he was the oldest one that stayed in the manor.

Normally, Tetsuya wouldn't talk to strangers, but there was something in his eyes that made him comfortable around him and caused the kid to smile at him.

The stranger smiled kindly at Tetsuya then sat next to him, giving enough space for the kid to feel comfortable. "Are your parents not here yet?" he asked.

Tetsuya shook his head. "Nii-san will pick me up," he said.

"Where is he then?"

"At work,"

"Work?" the man said, confused as he glanced at his wristwatch.

"Oji-san," Tetsuya asked, "Do you know who I am?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Nii-san told me that I shouldn't talk to strangers, but... it doesn't seem nice if I don't answer your questions," Tetsuya said.

"Aah, sorry..." the man said, scratching his nape in embarrassment then held out his free hand. "I'm Tenma Tanaka, what's your name?"

Tetsuya looked up at him before averting his gaze. "Nii-san said I shouldn't tell my name to strangers," he said.

"Clever kid," Tenma said, "But I'm not a stranger anymore, aren't I? I told you my name already,"

Tetsuya looked down, thinking about whether to trust this guy or not, then looked around-- no one was arriving to pick him up.

"Tetsuya," he said, "That's my name,"

"And your last name?"

Tetsuya shook his head. "Nii-san say I can't tell strangers my full name,"

Tenma chuckled.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Tetsuya-kun," Tenma said with a grin then looked around. "When did you say your nii-san was going to arrive?"

Tetsuya shrugged. It was already afternoon and was already getting dark-- Tetsuya hated the dark-- and he wanted to go home already to finish his homework.

"Tenma-san," Tetsuya called, "Do you have a mobile phone?"

"E-eh? Yes, why do you ask?"

Tetsuya reached for his bag and took Akashi's calling card-- one Akashi always made him keep in case he gets lost. "Can you send nii-san a message?"

"What for?" Tenma asked, looking at the contact number on the calling card.

"Tell him that I'll be going home now," Tetsuya said.

"Alone?!" Tenma asked, quite astonished that a kid like him was brave enough to walk home at a time like this.

Tetsuya asked as he shouldered his bag. "Nii-san might be busy," he said.

"Where are your parents? Why won't they pick you up?"

Tetsuya bit his lip and looked down. "They're... away," he said, "Their work is far away,"

Tenma frowned then looked down at Akashi's calling card. "I see," he said then took his phone and sent a message to Akashi. He then stood up and took Tetsuya's bag from him. "Let me walk you home,"

Tetsuya looked at him then reached for his bag and tugged it. "No, thank you," he said, "Nii-san said I shouldn't go with strangers,"

"Again with the strangers," Tenma muttered, "Don't worry, I'll just accompany you to your street and then I'll be on my way. If something would happen to you on your way home, I might feel guilty once I let you go off alone,"

Tetsuya didn't answer.

Tenma smiled and held out a hand. "Come on, I'll take you home,"

***

Akashi was panting hard when he arrived at the school. It was already dusk and most of the staff had already gone home, but Akashi was still hopeful to see the cyan-haired child waiting for him.

He was in the middle of an urgent business meeting when he received a text from an unknown number and had literally jumped up from his seat-- he forgot that he will be the one picking up Tetsuya from school today-- and got to the school as fast as he can, regardless of how many traffic violations he committed.

"Akashi...-san?" The principal called him, surprised to see the redhead at their school in this hour.

"Have... have you seen Tetsuya?" Akashi asked in between pants as he tried to steady his breathing.

The principal had her eyes widened when Akashi asked her that question. "I thought you already picked him up? He was waiting for you by the playground when Ogiwara-san left him. I went to check on him earlier but he was already gone and I thought you already arrived to pick him up,"

Akashi's heart stopped. Tetsuya was gone-- and the only contact he had to know where he is was the number he used to text him and tell him he was going home.

"S-shall I call the police?" the principal asked, sensing Akashi's panicked state.

Akashi didn't answer and flipped his phone open, cursing in his mind, and dialed the number.

 _"The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area. Please try your call later,"_ the automated voice said and Akashi cursed loudly, redialling the number to receive the same automated voice mail.

"Can I take a look at your CCTV footage?" Akashi asked as he put his phone back inside his pocket, finding it hopeless to call the unknown number.

"S-sure," the principal said led Akashi back to her office where she had a copy of the CCTV footage.

They reviewed the footage and saw Tetsuya sitting alone in the playground when a man approached him and Akashi's heartbeat picked up the pace-- he had azure hair and eyes and looked like he was talking to Tetsuya. After a few minutes, Tetsuya rummaged through his bag and gave the man a piece of paper-- Akashi's calling card.

After sending a message to Akashi, the two of them walked together and out of the premises of the school and directed to the street that would take Tetsuya home.

"W-who... who is that man?" Akashi asked, feeling light-headed.

"I... I have no idea," the principal said as she rewinds the footage and took a closer look. "I haven't seen him before... he isn't a parent, but..."

The principal frowned but didn't continue what she was about to say. But Akashi knew what her unspoken statement was-- the man had the same blue hair as Tetsuya's, only an azure blue rather than cyan, and he had most of Tetsuya's features.

The tense silence was interrupted when Akashi's phone rang. Without taking a look at who was calling, Akashi quickly answered the call. "Hel--"

"Akashi! Where the hell is you?!" Aomine's voice rang on the other line. "Tetsuya's at home all alone, weren't you supposed to pick him up today?"

Akashi took a moment to try and find his voice-- relief and guilt filling up his entire system. "I'm on my way home, thank you," he said and ended the call. He looked at the principal who was holding her breath for the news. "He's already at home,"

She sighed with relief. "Thank goodness," she said.

"I apologize for causing such a panic," Akashi said, "I didn't notice the time and was stuck in a meeting. I'll go on ahead,"

Akashi's hands were trembling when he got home. He headed to the living room where Aomine met him with a scowl.

"What the hell happened, Akashi?" Aomine asked then looked at Akashi's appearance. "You look like you just got out from work!"

"Where is he?" Akashi asked, ignoring Aomine's outbursts.

Aomine sighed, pinching his nose. "In his room, reading," he answered and Akashi dashed to Tetsuya's room but froze as soon as he was by the door.

Akashi gulped the lump in his throat and took a deep breath before knocking softly. "Tetsuya..." he called, but the child didn't answer.

Gritting his teeth, Akashi turned the knob-- glad that it wasn't locked-- and let himself in. He saw Tetsuya sitting on his bed and held a book while he quietly read. If he heard Akashi come in, he didn't show it.

Akashi silently sighed and sat at the edge of Tetsuya's bed-- the child not shifting from his position and continued to read. "Tetsuya... I'm sorry," Akashi whispered, but Tetsuya continued to read.

"I know I said that I'd pick you up, but I got held up at work, and... I didn't notice the time and--"

"It's okay, nii-san," Tetsuya answered, his book up to his face so Akashi couldn't see his expression. "I understand,"

Akashi bit his lip. "H-how... how did you get home?" he asked.

"I walked from school,"

"That wasn't a safe thing Tetsuya," Akashi said then sighed. "Tomorrow, what do you say we go to the park after school, yeah?"

Tetsuya shook his head. "No, thank you," he said.

"Do you have plans to do tomorrow? Maybe we can--"

"Nii-san," Tetsuya called, putting his book down. "I can't concentrate on what I'm reading,"

Akashi gulped the lump in his throat. "S-sorry," he said then stood up, "We'll talk later okay?"

But Tetsuya didn't answer and continued to read his book. Akashi let out a silent sigh, mentally slapping himself for screwing up, as he headed for the door-- closing it gently behind him.

"Well?" Aomine asked, crossing his arms, as he waited outside. Akashi didn't notice it at first, but he was still wearing his police uniform.

"You just go out from work?" Akashi asked.

"I timed out an hour early," Aomine said, his brows furrowed. "I got a call from the house and was surprised to hear Tetsu on the other line. He told me to tell you that he was already at home. What the hell was that all about, Akashi?"

Akashi sighed. "I had an urgent meeting and I didn't notice the time pass," he said.

"That was pretty irresponsible of you," Mayuzumi said as he entered the scene-- he was wearing his suit and was holding his case-- he just arrived from work.

"Did he tell you how he got home?" Akashi asked Aomine.

"He said he walked from school,"

"Was he alone?"

"He didn't say... why?"

Akashi glanced at Mayuzumi. "Nothing..." he said.

Eventually, everyone at home found out about Akashi's negligence and he didn't utter a word as Kise, Murasakibara, and Midorima gave him a piece of their mind-- scolding him for forgetting to pick Tetsuya up from school-- as they ate dinner. The child in question refused to come out of his room and they didn't push further as they knew Tetsuya didn't want to be around them tonight. Murasakibara just let Tetsuya have dinner inside his room and told him that he'll come back to collect the plate and have Aomine read him his bedtime story.

"You looked rattled," Mayuzumi said as he spotted Akashi looking over his computer. "Anything happened?"

"I thought Tetsuya got kidnapped," Akashi whispered.

"And who's fault is that?" Mayuzumi said, "But no... that's not the reason why you're acting like that, what happened?"

Akashi gulped, glancing at Mayuzumi then back at his computer. "I checked the CCTV footage of the school earlier," he said, "And I found..."

"Found what?"

"Someone walked Tetsuya home," Akashi said, then bit his lip. "He... he looked a lot like Tetsuya,"

Mayuzumi's calm expression was replaced with utter shock. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Akashi merely nodded.

Mayuzumi sighed. "What happens now?"

"What do you mean?" Akashi asked.

"That man could be--"

"He's not,"

"How can you be sure?"

"He's not... and I won't give Tetsuya to him if he is,"

"You don't have a say in that,"

"Yes, I do. I'm his legal guardian... I'm his brother!"

"And he might be his father," Mayuzumi said, making Akashi flinch. "He has every right to Tetsuya... more than you,"

"I'm not losing him again..." Akashi muttered.

"If you continue this, he will slip away from you, Seijuro," Mayuzumi said, "Think about that,"


	12. Overnight

"Tenma-nii!" Tetsuya greeted as he waved over to Tenma while he and Kise waited for him at a nearby convenience store.

After their meet-up, Tenma had been coming over to see Tetsuya at school just before the others pick him up and Akashi had been bothered that his brother had been making friends with a man much older than him and decided to invite Tenma for dinner so that they'd be able to thank him, although Akashi had other plans regarding this meetup and have the older man demand what his business was with Tetsuya.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tenma Tanaka," Tenma said with a smile as he held out a hand towards Kise who grinned back and shook hands with the older man.

"Ryota Kise," Kise introduced himself.

"Ryota-nii, this is Tenma-nii! He's been keeping me company whenever I wait for you to pick me up from school," Tetsuya said with a smile, "He tells funny jokes and buys me vanilla candies,"

"That sounds fun, Tetsuya-cchi," Kise said with a smile then turned to Tenma. "So, let's head to the house, Akashi-cchi and the others are waiting for your arrival,"

Tenma smiled and nodded.

Kise led Tenma and Tetsuya to his car and fastened Tetsuya's seatbelt at the backseat while Tenma sat next to him. Once everyone was settled, they finally drove home where Akashi and the others waited for their special visitor.

"You have a very lovely home," Tenma said as he got out of the car and admired the Akashi manor that stood proudly in front of him.

"Thanks, but this is Akashi-cchi's house," Kise said with a smile as he helped Tetsuya out of the car.

"Tenma-nii, let's go!" Tetsuya said with a smile and held Tenma's hand and started to drag him to the front door with Kise behind.

The blonde pilot's smile faded as he watched the two of them walk to the front porch. "They really do look alike," he muttered to himself and forced a smile as he opened the door for the bluenettes.

"Good afternoon, I am Dr. Shintaro Midorima," Midorima introduced himself as he shook hands with Tenma as soon as they arrived at the lounge area where the others were waiting.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tenma Tanaka," Tenma introduced himself with a smile.

"Daiki Aomine,"

"Atsushi Murasakibara,"

"And I'm Chihiro Mayuzumi," Mayuzumi said, "I'm Tetsuya's cousin,"

"Nice to meet you all," Tenma said with a smile then turned to Tetsuya, "You didn't tell me you had a lot of big brothers, Tetsuya,"

"I have six of them!" Tetsuya exclaimed with a smile then looked around and frowned. "W-where're nii-san?"

"I'm here," Akashi said as he emerged from the archway and headed to Tenma, holding out a hand. "I'm Seijuro Akashi, Tetsuya's older brother,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Tenma said with a smile, not giving out any hint that he knows who Akashi was. "Thank you very much for having me tonight,"

"It was nothing," Akashi said with a smile-- a strained one-- than Tenma was able to pick up. "So... shall we proceed to dinner?"

"Ah, of course," Tenma said with a smile.

"Atsushi-nii makes our dinner," Tetsuya said with a smile as he walked with Tenma to the dining area. "He makes delicious food!"

Murasakibara blushed at the kid's comment, making Aomine snicker-- despite his build, the purple head was actually weak to honest compliments, especially when Tetsuya makes them.

"Say, Tetsuya-cchi, you're hyper than usual," Kise said with a grin.

"That's because I'm excited to have Tenma stay here tonight,"

"E-eh?" Kise asked.

"What did you say, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked.

Tetsuya looked up at the older men. "Tenma-nii's staying with us tonight, right?"

"J-just for dinner, Tetsuya," Tenma said with a chuckle, amused by the kid's misunderstanding. "I can't possibly sleep here for the night, I still have work to do,"

"Oh? What kind of work?" Akashi asked as he and the others sat down-- Tetsuya sitting in between Tenma and Akashi that made a tense atmosphere the child was unaware of.

"I work in the business sector," Tenma said, "Our family owns one of the biggest telecommunication business in the country and have been expanding internationally,"

"I see," Akashi said as Murasakibara started serving their dinner for tonight.

Tenma took a scoop of his food and his eyes widened the moment the flavor invaded his tastebuds. "Murasakibara-san, this is absolutely a delicious dish!"

"T-thank you," Murasakibara said.

"Now I remember your name," Tenma said with a smile as he continued to eat. "You own one of the most famous restaurants in the city,"

"I do," Murasakibara answered with a bashful smile.

"Are you also related to Masahiro Murasakibara?" Tenma asked.

Akashi and Murasakibara exchanged glances before he answered. "He's my father,"

"Ah, now I see the resemblance," Tenma said, "Your father and I had known each other for a long time,"

"Really?" Murasakibara asked.

Tenma nodded. "He was actually introduced to us by our family lawyer and we had been keeping in touch ever since I got back to Japan,"

"Business issues?" Akashi asked.

"Family matters," Tenma said with a smile, making Akashi freeze.

"If... if it's not too confidential, may I ask what kind?" Mayuzumi asked.

"We've been looking for a missing family member," Tenma said and Akashi paled. "He had been missing for eight years now and we received news that he had just been here in Japan the whole time,"

"Nii-san... are you okay?" Tetsuya asked, noticing Akashi's pale color.

"Y-yes..." Akashi whispered as he tried to calm himself down. "Just... tired from work,"

"Tetsuya, you have crumbs all over your face," Tenma said as he chuckled and took a napkin and wiped Tetsuya's face clean.

Akashi and the others watched in astonishment-- Tetsuya has never shown such familiarity towards others and it took them a few good months before Tetsuya could even smile at them like that. Something that Tenma was able to see after knowing Tetsuya for a solid week only.

"I almost forgot," Murasakibara said, "Ayachin told me that Tetsuchin's school will be conducting a family day next week and they told us that we need to be there since the children will be doing a performance number,"

"Will you sing and dance, Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise asked the boy excitedly.

Tetsuya's cheeks turned pink. "N-no... Yumi-sensei told me I can participate in the Show-and-Tell if I don't like to sing or dance,"

"Show-and-Tell?" Aomine asked.

Tetsuya nodded. "The theme is all about Family," he said, "We have to bring something that reminds us of our family,"

"And what will you bring?" Tenma asked.

"I-it's a surprise!" Tetsuya said, "So you have to be there... all of you,"

The boy turned to Tenma. "You can come too is you'd like Tenma-nii,"

"No," Akashi blurted out, taking everyone's attention.

He gulped when he felt everyone's eyes on him. "I-I mean... we shouldn't really bother Tenma-san, Tetsuya. He might be busy on that day,"

"Oh..." Tetsuya said.

Tenma grinned and ruffled Tetsuya's hair. "Don't worry, Tetsuya, I'll check on my schedule and try to be there for your Show-and-Tell, how's that?"

Tetsuya smiled and nodded then continued to eat his dinner, finishing it this time since Murasakibara reduced the amount of his dinner.

"You really shouldn't bother yourself with the event," Akashi said as he approached Tenma while Kise excused himself and helped Tetsuya with his bath. "I'm sure Tetsuya will understand,"

Tenma smiled at Akashi. "Oh it's not really a bother," he said, "I honestly have no plans for next week so there is a huge chance that I might watch,"

"I see..." Akashi said.

"Well, it has been a long night and I really must be going," Tenma said as he shook hands with Akashi and the others. "Thank you very much for the wonderful dinner and it was really nice meeting everyone,"

"Same to you too," Aomine said.

"Let me walk you to the door," Midorima offered but stopped when they noticed rain pouring from outside. They did not realize that it was already pouring because of the tense atmosphere that lingered around the house ever since Tenma set foot in the manor.

"It's raining," Kise said.

"And I'm tanned," Aomine said, "Want to state any more obvious facts?"

"Mooo! Aomine-cchi!" Kise whined.

"Nii-san," Tetsuya called as he tugged on Akashi's shirt. He was already in his pajamas and was holding a storybook close to his chest. "Can't we let Tenma-nii stay tonight? It's raining and he might get sick if he goes home like that,"

"It's alright, Tetsuya," Tenma said with a smile.

"No, I think Tetsuya has a point," Mayuzumi said, ignoring Akashi's glare. "It's pouring and if you didn't bring a car with you, who knows what time will you arrive home with the weather like this. We have a guest room to spare and you can leave first thing in the morning if you have work tomorrow,"

"I really would like to take the offer, but is it really alright?" Tenma asked then looked at Akashi.

"Sure..." Akashi answered.

Tetsuya smiled then grabbed Tenma's hand. "Tenma-nii, please read me a bedtime story!"

"E-eh?" Tenma asked.

"Tetsuya-cchi, Tenma-san isn't here to read you a story," Kise said with a nervous chuckle. "Besides, Mayuzumi-cchi will read to you tonight,"

"But it's okay if Tenma-nii reads it to me tonight, right Chihiro-nii?" Tetsuya asked.

Mayuzumi blinked then glanced at Akashi, Tenma, and back at Tetsuya. "S-sure... if it's alright with Tenma-san,"

"It's okay," Tenma said with a chuckle. "But... do you always read to him every night?"

"We all take turns every night," Midorima said.

"It's to help Tetsuya-cchi sleep," Kise said, "He actually suffered a trauma since he-- ouch!"

"Don't mind him," Aomine said when Murasakibara reached over and whacked Kise in the head to make him stop talking.

"I-I see..." Tenma said then turned to Tetsuya with a smile. "So, shall we go?"

Tetsuya nodded then turned to his room after bidding goodnight to the remaining older men as Tenma followed him to his room.

***

Akashi stood by the door, his blood turning to ice, as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Tenma had fallen asleep, sitting on Tetsuya's bed-- his head resting on the headboard. Tetsuya was curled up next to him, using the older man's chest as a pillow-- the storybook unfinished and was open on Tenma's lap as the two of them dozed off.

It would have been a touching scene if it weren't for their identical hair color that made Tenma look like Tetsuya's father reading to him.

_"We've been looking for a missing family member. He had been missing for eight years now and we received news that he had just been here in Japan the whole time,"_

Akashi shook his head out of his thoughts and went over to take the book away. It pained him to see Tetsuya happy with other people's efforts but it made him happy to see Tetsuya smile that wide-- it almost made Akashi forget that the child went through a lot and he found himself wondering whether Mayuzumi was right-- if he should tell Tetsuya the truth or not and let the child decide.

Tetsuya stirred and it woke Tenma up. "I fell asleep, didn't I?" he asked Akashi who had just placed the book on the shelf.

"It's alright," Akashi said then combed Tetsuya's hair, "This is the first time he slept halfway while someone reads to him. He seems to relax when he's with you,"

Tenma smiled as he gently placed Tetsuya on his own pillow. "Well... the feeling's mutual," he said, "Although I can't say he's relaxed with me. The first time we met he wouldn't tell me his full name and said you taught him that,"

Akashi smiled, looking down at Tetsuya.

"But, after discovering your name, I now know his that," Tenma said, "Tetsuya Akashi,"

Akashi shook his head.

"Did I pronounced it wrong?"

"Kuroko,"

Akashi watched as a flicker of emotion passed by Tenma's eyes-- he was familiar with the surname and Akashi couldn't help but feel dread.

"His full name is Tetsuya Kuroko," Akashi continued to talk, ignoring the lump in his throat and the dread in his heart. To keep that smile on Tetsuya's face, Akashi was willing to accept his defeat.


	13. Abandon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Domestic Violence

"Daiki-nii, where are we going?" Tetsuya asked as Aomine drove Kise's car.

Earlier, Aomine went to Tetsuya's room to see the child sketching like the usual. Aomine had his usual grin that widened when Tetsuya's seem to have been startled by Aomine's appearance and quickly hid his work under his bed.

"Daiki-nii, please knock the next time you come to my room," the child said.

Aomine had laughed at the pouting and blushing child. "Get your coat, we're going out,"

Tetsuya looked up at him in confusion. "Where?"

"It's a secret," Aomine grinned, ruffling Tetsuya's hair in a mess.

And that was how they ended up in the road with an unknown destination-- Kise calling for Aomine to be careful, totally paranoid that the policeman would scratch his car after an angry woman trashed Aomine's personal car when she found out she was just a one-time thing for Aomine.

Tetsuya looked over the window and saw a grassy field-- it looked like the park but there were minimal trees and had white stones embedded on the ground. "Where are we, Daiki-nii?"

Aomine parked the car and unbuckled Tetsuya then reached for the bouquet of flowers that was inside the trunk of the car. "Come on," he said, reaching down for Tetsuya's hand.

Tetsuya looked around in confusion and saw names carved on the white stones in gold and weird sayings like "Your memory lives on", "Everlasting Love", "Our little guardian angel", etc.

"Daiki-nii," Tetsuya said after reading the carved words. "Are we in heaven?" he asked.

Aomine chuckled. "You can say that," he said then stopped in front of two white stones placed next to each other. Tetsuya looked down at the stones and saw the names carved-- Daisuke and Kira Aomine.

"Daiki-nii, they have your name," Tetsuya pointed out.

Aomine smiled at him and placed the bouquet of flowers in the middle of the stone before sitting down on the grass and urged Tetsuya to sit next to him. "I didn't want to be alone this year, but your brother was so busy and the others as well," he told Tetsuya, "But it's a Saturday today and I figured I'd ask you to come along,"

Tetsuya sat silently next to him and let Aomine wrap a hand around him as they both stared down at the stones.

***

_"Ow! Satsuki that hurts!" an Eight-year-old Daiki Momoi whined as a Seven-year-old Satsuki Momoi tended his bruises._

_"It would hurt less if you stop fidgeting Dai-chan!" Momoi complained and continued to tend his bruises with band-aids._

_"That looks painful," an Eight-year-old Ryota Kise said, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes._

_"Oh stop being a drama queen, Kise," Aomine said then winced. "Satsuki!"  
_

_"Stop moving!" Satsuki said then pouted._

_Aomine clicked his tongue in annoyance but ruffled Momoi's hair. "Thank you," he muttered and frowned at his bruises._

_"Don't thank me," Momoi said, "You shouldn't have picked up a fight with those kids,"_

_"I did," Aomine said, "They were harassing you,"_

_"I can take care of myself, Dai-chan," Momoi answered._

_Aomine snorted. "Says the girl who's afraid of frogs,"_

_"Frogs and bullies are very different things!" Momoi said, sticking her tongue out._

_Aomine rolled his eyes but a kiss on his cheek caused him to look at Momoi._

_"But thank you," Momoi said with a smile._

_"Oooh! Momo-cchi kissed Aomine-cchi!" Kise yelped._

_"Shut up, Kise! Someone might hear you!" Aomine spat then turned back to Momoi. "And you! Why the hell would you do that?"_

_Momoi looked up, as if in thought. "I remembered the princess in my fairytale books. The prince saved her from the dragon and, in return, she kissed him and promised to marry him,"_

_Aomine blushed. "What the hell have they been reading you at the orphanage?"_

_Momoi pouted. "Aho-mine," she mumbled._

_"I have to get a job first before I marry you," Aomine said, scratching his nape in embarrassment as his pink cheeks turned red. "You can't just say you want to marry me,"_

_Momoi smiled. "But I want to,"_

_"Mooo! I want to marry Momo-cchi too!" Kise whined._

_"Shut up!" Aomine said, "Satsuki said she wants to marry me, not you! Baka-Kise!"_

_"Eh?! So mean, Aomine-cchi!" Kise cried._

_"Baka. I can't marry Satsuki," Aomine said, "She's my best friend. Besides... she doesn't have big oppais,"_

_"P-Pervert!" Momoi said, her cheeks burning red. "You'd marry someone with big boobs rather than your best friend?!"_

_Aomine grinned. "If it means having to look at your small boobs my whole life then yes," he said, causing Momoi to punch him on his arm._

_"You really are a pervert, Dai-chan! I hate you!" Momoi said then stood up and walked away._

_"She looks mad," Kise muttered as he and Aomine stared back at Momoi._

_"Let her leave," Aomine said then looked at the sunset. "It's getting late, shouldn't you go home too?"_

_Kise smiled then shook his head. "Only if you go home, Aomine-cchi," he said then his smile faltered. "I want to wait for Mama and Papa to fall asleep before going home so that I won't hear those hurtful words from them,"  
_

_Aomine snorted. "You cry-baby," he mumbled._

_"I am not!" Kise complained then tucked his knees around his arms. "Ne, Aomine-cchi... why don't you want to marry Momo-cchi?"_

_"I told you, she has no oppais and she's my best friend," Aomine answered. "And what are you two talking about marrying each other?! We're too young to talk about those!"_

_Kise giggled. "But once we grow up and Momo-cchi ends up having big boobs, will you marry her then?"_

_Aomine frowned. "No," he answered then stood up and started walking away. "I'm going home, see you,"_

_Eight-year-old Aomine Daiki walked home, both of his legs and arms were decorated with band-aids as well as the bridge of his nose. His too large-cap hung loosely over his head and a basketball was stuck between his arms and his side._

_He opened the door and was welcomed by a crashing of a plate, followed by the scream of his mother. "YOU GO DO THE DISHES AND COOK IF YOU THINK THEY'RE SO DAMN EASY!"_

_"THE HELL I WOULD! THAT'S YOUR ONLY JOB AND YOU STILL FAIL AT IT! HOW STUPID ARE YOU, WOMAN?!" His father screamed back._

_"I'm home," Aomine called as if it was an everyday thing for him to see his parents reduce the ceramics in their house._

_"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME STUPID! BASTARD!"_

_"IT HURTS BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!"_

_Another plate crashed followed by a chair falling and his mother's yelp and the next thing he knew, Aomine had rushed up to the kitchen to see his father raising a hand at his mother who stumbled and fall on the floor-- unable to find balance at the impact she received._

_"Mama!" Aomine cried and rushed to his mother's aid, hiding her behind him. "Stop it! Stop it, Papa!"_

_"Daiki! Get out of the way!" his father bellowed._

_"No!" Aomine yelled. "Stop hurting Mama!"  
_

_"Daiki!" his mother's calls made him freeze as she pushed him aside. "Do as your father says,"_

_"B-but..."_

_Daiki's entrance seems to have snapped both adults awake and they eventually calmed down-- his father retreating to their room while his mother was left to pick up the broken shards of the plates and Aomine was left standing in the kitchen as he watched his mother._

_"Go and have dinner, there are still leftovers in the fridge," his mother said as he swiped some stray strands of her blue hair over her ears._

_But Aomine just stood dare and glared at the abrasion that made itself known on his mother's cheek-- a proof that his father hurt her... again._

_"Daiki," his mother snapped him out of his thoughts. "I said eat your dinner,"_

_Aomine frowned and turned to his parents' room, ignoring his mother's calls, and pounded at the door endlessly until his father sharply opened it with a shout. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!"_

_Aomine leaped to his feet, attempting to drag his father down to his level. "You hurt her! You hurt her again! Bastard!"_

_"Daiki! Stop it!" his mother called and attempted to yank the child away from her husband._

_"You hurt her! I hate you! I hate you!" Daiki yelled as he thrashed around, trying to shake his mother._

_But a sting on his cheek made him stop and looked at his mother with widened eyes._

_"ENOUGH!" His mother said as tears streamed down her face as she shook the child's shoulder. "TAKE IT BACK! TELL YOUR FATHER YOUR SORRY!"_

_Aomine recovered from his shock. "NO! HE HURT YOU AND I HATE HIM!"_

_"I SAID TAKE IT BACK!" His mother yelled, "YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HATE HIM WHEN YOU'RE THE REASON WHY I'M STUCK WITH HIM!"_

_That made Aomine looked up in shock. "W-what?"_

_"IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN BORN THEN I WON'T BE STUCK WITH HIM! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" His mother cried. "I'M MISERABLE BECAUSE OF YOU! I WISH YOU HAD DIED! I WISH YOU WEREN'T BORN AT ALL! I WISH YOU'RE DEAD!"_

_"K-Kira..." his father called and attempted to calm his mother._

_"NO, LET ME GO, DAISUKE!" His mother yelled, yanking her arm from his father's grasp. "THIS CHILD NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HELL HE PUT ME THROUGH!"_

_Tears streamed down Aomine's face as he heard all the hurtful words that came out from her mother's mouth._

_"YOUR FATHER SLEEPS WITH OTHER WOMEN BECAUSE HE DOESN'T LOVE ME! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSE TO BE BORN! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSE TO EXIST!" His mother yelled. "I'M MISERABLE BECAUSE OF YOU, DAIKI! THIS! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

_"Kira, that's enough!" his father called and pulled his mother back._

_"All your fault... all your fault..." his mother sobbed as his father wrapped his arms around her._

_"Go to your room, Daiki," his father ordered, "Don't make me say it twice,"_

_Aomine ran to his room and slammed the door behind him. This was one reason why he didn't want to marry when he grows up-- his parents end up marrying each other because he was born. Aomine didn't like the impression of marriage and he swore he'd never marry-- he didn't want to end up like his parents, miserable and broken._

_A few days passed and Aomine woke up to see a social worker was on their doorstep and took Aomine who thrashed in protest and watched as his parents let him be taken away. He arrived at the orphanage where Momoi was, but she wasn't there anymore-- she had been adopted the day before Aomine arrived._

_He grew up at the orphanage and immediately worked to support himself in middle school-- he found Momoi and reconnected with her through Kise's help and when they went to Teiko Middle School together, they met Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara and Aomine found that he didn't have to marry someone to have a family-- these people he was with was his family to protect._

***

"Daiki-nii," Tetsuya called, bringing Aomine out of his thoughts. "Who are they?"

Aomine smiled. "Mama, Papa," he called at the stones. "This is Tetsu, my brother,"

Tetsuya looked up at Aomine then back at the stones. "Daiki-nii," he said, "Are they, angels? Like nii-san's Mama?"

Aomine looked at the kid before nodding. "You can say that," he said.

"Are they in heaven too?" Tetsuya asked, "With nii-san's Mama?"

"Maybe," Aomine answered.

"Is Mama there up with them?"

Aomine's heart stopped as he looked down at Tetsuya in astonishment, but the kid had his eyes glued on the stones.

"What did you say?" Aomine asked.

"Mama... is she an angel too?" Tetsuya asked and looked up at Aomine. "Is she in heaven with them?"

Aomine blinked. "Who told you--"

"It's okay," Tetsuya said, "Nii-san didn't want me to be sad so he didn't tell me... but I went to visit Mama with Tenma-nii the other day when nii-san forgot to pick me up. But she wasn't home anymore... Did she go to heaven too?"

Aomine gulped, unsure of what he should say.

"Does nii-san know she went to heaven?" Tetsuya asked, "Did you know? Did Chihiro-nii know? Kise-nii? Atsushi-nii? Shintaro-nii?"

Aomine sighed. Akashi never said that Tetsuya was this smart.

He combed Tetsuya's hair before answering. "Yes," he said, "But... as you said, we didn't want you to be sad so we didn't tell you. We were waiting for you to be at the right age before telling you, but..."

"But?"

Aomine bit his lip. "Come on, let's go home." he called, "Tenma's waiting for you,"


	14. Revelation

"I apologize for calling you on such short notice," Akashi said as Mayuzumi led Tenma to the lounge where he and the others waited for him.

"It's alright, I wasn't really that busy," Tenma said with a smile, "And when you said it had something to do with Tetsuya, I couldn't say no,"

But he frowned as he looked around and spotted no cyan-haired child. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Daiki took him out on a stroll so we can talk," Akashi said.

Tenma looked confused. "But... I thought Tetsuya asked me to come here?"

"I lied," Akashi said then urged at the empty chair. "Please have a seat,"

"What is this all about?" Tenma asked, taking a seat.

Akashi glanced at Mayuzumi before he took out a case and handed Tenma some papers. "Read it," he said.

Confused, Tenma obliged and read the paper and froze as he saw a picture of a woman with dirty blonde hair and black eyes.

"That's Akano Kuroko," Akashi said, "Four years ago... she died from drug overuse after giving her only son away to be adopted by the son of the man she loved. But... I knew her differently and I'm sure you do as well..."

Tenma didn't take his eyes off of Akano's picture as he listened to Akashi's talk.

"She was once a theater actress, not very famous as Kise's mother, but... people knew her name," Mayuzumi continued. "One day... she met a tourist-- he was on a business trip when he visited the province. Eventually, they fell in love... or so she thought. He left her for another girl and destroyed her life... and the child she bears that she claimed was his,"

"You know Akano Kuroko," Akashi said.

Tenma nodded.

"You knew her story,"

Tenma nodded.

"You knew Tetsuya," Akashi said, "You knew he was Akano's son..."

Tenma finally looked up to see Akashi's mismatched eyes. "No," he whispered. "I didn't know he was Akano's son until you told me what his last name was,"

"You knew Akano... and you found Tetsuya," Akashi said, "You were the reason she was destroyed... the reason why Tetsuya suffered abuse up to the age of four before being chucked at my doorsteps... the reason why Tetsuya is incomplete-- no mother, no father... you were the man Akano loved... Tetsuya's father,"

Tenma looked down. "Yes," he answered. "I was the one who destroyed Akano... and... maybe the same reason why a child as kind and as delicate as Tetsuya is broken, but... I wasn't the man Akano loved, nor am I that child's father,"

The others exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" Kise asked.

Tenma pursed his lips then brought his wallet out where a picture of a family of four smiled at the other men-- an elderly couple stood proudly in formal attire, two younger men stood on each side of the elder couple, both sporting blue hair and eyes and shared identical features.

"Twins," Midorima said.

"This is my brother, Tetsuo," Tenma said, pointing at the man that stood next to his father. "He was Akano's lover... the man she met that one fateful night,"

Akashi slammed his hand on the desk, making Kise jump in surprise. "Don't mess with us! What kind of twisted story is that?!" he yelled, but Mayuzumi held him back.

"Please explain," Mayuzumi said.

Tenma sighed as he looked at their family picture. "Tetsuo and I grew up in a wealthy family because of our business. He was older than me by minutes and that was enough for my parents to have him shoulder the burden of bringing them the next heir to our business," he said then looked at Akashi, "I'm sure you understand the feeling,"

"Tetsuo and I are identical," Tenma said, "People often mistake us for one another and we sometimes loved messing around with them like that,"

Akashi stayed silent.

"At the age of sixteen, Tetsuo was pushed to get married once he turns twenty-one and be ready to take over the family business," Tenma continued, "But he didn't like the idea. He didn't want to be attached by someone he never met before and wanted love to come in its own way to his life,"

He looked around and saw that everyone was listening intently to his story.

"There was so much on his plate that I took pity on him and asked him to go on a short vacation with me and a few friends," he continued, "We made it look like we were on a business meeting since mother and father would only let Tetsuo go if it was for business,"

"What about you?" Murasakibara asked.

Tenma smirked. "They don't care about me as long as they had Tetsuo," he said and both Muraskaibara and Kise felt pity towards the older bluenette.

"One day, we were messing around a bar and that's when Tetsuo met Akano," Tenma continued with a smile as he remembered the scene. "Tetsuo was love-struck the moment he saw her. A little drunk, he confessed to me that she was the girl he wanted to marry,

"Because of Akano, we ended up staying in the place longer than usual as he tried his best to win Akano's heart-- seeing that she was quite famous in the are and men were head-over-heels at such a beautiful and elegant woman as her,"

Akashi had to fight the urge to roll his eyes-- in his perspective, Akano was not beautiful nor was she elegant. She was cruel and he hated her for hurting Tetsuya.

"Eventually... they fell in love," Tenma continued, "But Tetsuo didn't have the nerve to tell Akano that he was already engaged to someone else-- someone who isn't her.

"He asked for my help, came to me... begging me to go back home and pretend to be me just to be with Akano, but... I had a girlfriend at that time and had planned to marry her-- despite my parents' disapproval of her status," Tenma continued, the smile on his face long-gone. "It pained to see my brother struggle like that and though I badly wanted to help him with his situation, I couldn't do anything,"

"Why didn't he just ran away with her?" Kise asked.

"He considered the idea, but dismissed it afterward," Tenma said, "Tanaka is a very famous name and he was sure our parents would be able to track him down wherever he was in the world. He didn't want to put Akano in a sticky situation, and swore she won't get involved in our family affairs,"

"But she was already involved," Midorima said.

Tenma nodded. "My parents found out about Akano and threatened to finish her off if Tetsuo disobeyed them..." he said, "We were running out of time and they demanded that we go home immediately and proceed with the wedding,"

"So he was left with a difficult choice," Midorima said.

"Tetsuo loved Akano, very much that he was willing to let her go for her own safety," Tenma said, "But he couldn't say goodbye to her... it would destroy both of them,"

"So you took his place," Mayuzumi said.

"Kind of," Tenma answered, "I offered Tetsuo help and let him enjoy his last moments with Akano before he leaves in a few days. On the day of Tetsuo's flight, I sent a hoax message to Akano using Tetsuo's phone..."

"No..." Kise whispered.

"Tetsuo told Akano about the fixed marriage, but instead of telling it was his marriage, he told her that it was me getting married and that I was scheduled to fly back home to proceed with the marriage," Tenma said, "For the last time, we switched places and I swore I'd never do it again after. Akano went to the hotel I was staying and she found me in the bedroom-- a naked girl straddling me while we made love in front of her very eyes,"

Tenma bit his lip as he remembered the painful scene.

_"Tetsuo?" Akano called, her phone in her hand as she looked up at Tenma in shock and confusion._

_"Tetsuo... who is that?" the girl whom they paid, asked._

_"What are you doing here?" Tenma asked, acting to be startled as he shoved the girl aside and wrapped himself in a towel, and walked to Akano. "Akano... how did you know where I was?"_

_Akano found it hard to focus at Tenma's eyes-- hurt and anger clouding her eyes-- and Tenma's head jerked sideways as his cheek stung from Akano's slap._

_"Why..." Akano whispered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes._

_Tenma has his fists balled. "What do you mean why?" he asked, looking back at Akano._

_"You said you loved me... promised me forever..." Akano said, her voice raising its tone. "I gave you everything... how... how could you do this to me? Where did you get the strength to sit back and watch me listen to your lies?!"  
_

_Tenma scoffed. "And you believe everything I told you?" he said. "You were just a one-time thing. What did you expect? That I'd turn my back on everything laid out to me for you, whom I just met for a few weeks?"_

_Akano was taken aback by what Tenma said then composed herself. "You're right..." she whispered then took out a ring and threw it at Tenma-- the engagement ring Tetsuo promised her a few nights before-- and turned her back to leave._

_Tenma sighed as he took his wallet out and paid the girl who was waiting by his bed then took the ring and held it to his face as he dialed Tetsuo's number. "It's done," he said._

"Tetsuo pushed through with the wedding, but the girl was infertile... she had trouble carrying his child and they ended up getting separated," Tenma continued the story. "That was when we started looking for Akano, but she wasn't at the same place anymore and it took us a few months to finally track her down... Tetsuo came to talk to her and that was when we found out... She was pregnant with his child... but Akano didn't want anything to do with Tetsuo and said she'd go through the abortion. We believed her... until, four years ago... we saw on the news and found out that she kept the child,"

"Where is Tetsuo-san now?" Murasakibara asked.

Tenma pursed his lips. "Finding Akano, Tetsuo was given new hope of having his lover back. But she shut him out and the love in her eyes had already died down and was replaced with rage and anger-- we destroyed the Akano Tetsuo loved... Tetsuo fell into depression and ended up taking his life, believing that he had no reason to live anymore-- that someone as weak as him who couldn't fight for his love didn't have the right to live and hurt others more,"

Tenma looked at Akashi and Mayuzumi. "The moment I saw Tetsuya, I felt something in my heart-- as if Tetsuo was back and alive again. I saw his smile in Tetsuya, his eyes, his hair... everything that Tetsuo was when he was alive,"

"And that was the main reason why Akano abused him," Akashi said.

"It was true she wanted to abort the baby," Mayuzumi said, "But our family convinced her to not go through with it. Somehow, she knew Tetsuya would end up looking like his father and she couldn't help but turn her anger towards the clueless child..."

"My father met Akano a few years back," Akashi said, "But he was old and he fell ill and eventually died... but he met Tetsuya and had arranged me to take care of him. I honestly thought he was my brother... until Mayuzumi arrived a few years ago, telling me that I wasn't related to Tetsuya by blood,"

Tenma stayed quiet and listened to Akashi.

"It almost drove me mad at the thought of losing someone as special as Tetsuya... and I admit that it's still driving me crazy to meet you-- his uncle-- knowing that I have no right to keep him from you," Akashi said, "But I've seen the way Tetsuya smiled whenever he's with you and I've always wished for him to keep smiling that way. It pains me to do this... to accept defeat without being able to fight back..."

Tenma looked confused then sighed. "You've got it all wrong," he said then took a piece of paper with a handwritten note. "Arriving at Japan, I had no intentions of taking Tetsuya away from Akano... or anyone who took care of him,"

Akashi and Mayuzumi exchanged glances.

"I'm confused," Kise said.

Tenma sighed and opened the paper and handed it to Akashi who read it. "That's Tetsuo's farewell letter. It was addressed to me and asked me for one final favor-- to check up on his son and make sure to know that his Papa loved him very much and that he was sorry he wasn't by his side as he grew up..."

Tenma then took another paper. "This... this was addressed to Tetsuya. We didn't know what the gender of the child was, but for some funny reason, Tetsuo was sure it was going to be a boy and wanted him to read this letter,"

"You're not taking Tetsuya away?" Midorima asked.

Tenma smiled. "You talk about how genuinely happy Tetsuya is whenever I spend time with him," he said then looked at Akashi. "But have you seen how he smiles when he's with you? I can't do that to my nephew-- it's the only way I can repent for my sins,"

"Thank you," Akashi whispered.


	15. Family

Akashi and the others waited by the car along as Tenma brought Tetsuya to Tetsuo's grave. The child got home a short while after the big revelation and he had asked to see where Tetsuo ask. He was silent on the whole way home and Akashi was afraid it would overwhelm the child and have him revert back to his old self-- the others were thinking the same thing as they glanced at the kid every now and then during the ride to the cemetery.

"Nii-san," Tenma called out to Tetsuo's tombstone as he held Tetsuya's hand. "This is little Tetsuya... Akano's kid... your son,"

Tetsuya just stared at the tombstone as he clutched the letter Tetsuo had addressed to him. Tenma pursed his lips and let go of the child's hand. "I'll go ahead for a while, okay?" he said then turned and left.

Tetsuya sat down on the grassy field and unfolded the letter where a picture slid off and landed on his lap-- it was a picture of Tetsuo and Akano together as they spent a vacation at the local beach where they met. Tetsuya trailed his hand over his parents' faces before reading the letter.

_To my dearest son,_

_If you're reading this right now, it means that I have left this world and Tenma has finally found you. If that's the case then your mother lied to me-- she kept you and I hope that she loves you very much._

_I have so many things to tell you, but the first word that I could think of was 'sorry'... I'm sorry that I wasn't able to fight for my love for your mother, I'm sorry that I was a coward.. afraid to take the risk to keep your mother and you safe... I'm sorry I wasn't there to hear your first cry... I'm sorry I wasn't there to hear your first laugh... I'm sorry I didn't hear your first word-- but I'm sure that it was Mama. I'm sorry I wasn't there to witness your first steps, or saw how you grew inch and inch every day... I'm sorry I wasn't there to take you to school, or help you calm down when nightmares arrive, or wipe your tears whenever you cry for me..._

_I'm sorry._

_I know you're mad at me-- how can you not be? I left you and your mother even before we knew you were growing inside of her. I want to ask for your forgiveness and hope that you'll be a better man than me when you grow up and have your own family._

_I want you to know that I loved you and your mother very much but I had to make hard decisions to protect both of you and hope that your uncle Tenma would explain and make you understand. I love you, my son._

Tetsuya folded the paper and remained seated in front of Tetsuo's grave and he didn't move away or utter a word when Akashi sat down next to him and put a hand around him in comfort. They only went home that day after Tetsuya fell asleep next to Akashi.

He refused to cry.

He refused to ask questions.

He refused any valid emotion.

The next day, he refused to utter a word.

***

True to their words, the gang was complete for Tetsuya's Family Day and all eyes were on them because in a sea of parents-- five older brothers, an older cousin, and an uncle accompanied the cyan-haired kid to his classroom where the Show-and-Tell was going to happen.

"Kuroko!" Ogiwara called and hugged his best friend in delight, but Tetsuya just smiled at him-- a smile that didn't reach his eyes-- and moved to prepare his props for the Show-and-Tell and sat quietly on his chair.

"What's wrong, Kuroko-kun?" Yumi asked but the child just shook his head and stayed silent.

"Ayachin," Murasakibara called and urged her to come over to where they were sitting. "Please be gentle with Tetsuchin today,"

"What happened?" Yumi asked.

Murasakibara glanced at Akashi who nodded in approval. "He's hurt today... and if he doesn't feel comfortable to talk in front of everyone, please don't make him,"

Yumi seems to understand the situation. "I see..." she said then went up to the front and welcomed the parents that had just arrived and helped him get to their desired seats while the children prepared for their Show-and-Tell.

"Ne, Kuroko! Where are your Mama and Papa?" Yoshi asked as he, Mako, and Kiro approached him.

But Tetsuya just looked at them before getting back to his own business-- ignoring them.

"O-oy!" Kiro called. "You lied to us about your Mama and Papa, you don't have parents, do you?"

"Oy," Aomine growled and sent the kids a death glare. "Leave Tetsu, alone, you brats,"

It must've been a very scary glare because they paled and started crying on the spot and had to be taken out of the room by their parents to help them calm down.

"Punks," Aomine grumbled.

"Calm down, Aomine-cchi," Kise said.

Once everyone has settled, Yumi then decided to start the program.

"Welcome, everyone, to the third-graders' Show-and-Tell," Yumi said with a smile as the kids fidgeted in excitement, except for Tetsuya who sat quietly at the back.

"For today's theme, we picked Family," Yumi said, "And the kids were instructed to bring anything that helps them remember of their own family,"

The audience applauded at every kid who presented things that reminded them of their family-- most of them were pictures of them on a fun trip or during the holidays.

"Next up, please give a hand to Tetsuya Kuroko," Yumi said and the expressionless child went up to the makeshift stage and faced the stage.

Tetsuya bent down and took a picture from the bag he brought with him to the stage-- it was Tetsuo and Akano's picture together that went with Tetsuo's farewell letter. He showed it to the crowd. "T-this is... my Mama and Papa... my Mama's name is Akano," he said, "My Papa's name is Tetsuo... they... they work very far away in a place called heaven,"

Murmurs filled the classroom but Yumi urged Tetsuya to keep going as the child wasn't still done.

"Their work is to be my guardian angels..." Tetsuya said, "And, even though I can't see them or hold them like Ogiwara-kun and the others could... I know that they're always with me. But I'm not sad that they're away because... I wouldn't have met my brothers and uncle,"

Akashi looked up at Tetsuya in astonishment.

Tetsuya bit his lip as he tucked the picture back in his bag and took out a sketch he had been working on for weeks-- it didn't have the exact same features as the real life, but the colors of their hair indicated who they were.

Tetsuya pointed at the tall green figure at the far right of the paper. "This is Shintaro-nii..." he said, "He works as a doctor and he saves lives... whenever we get sick, he takes care of us. He also writes and reads me stories at night and would always remind me to brush my teeth and drink my medicines whenever I get sick,"

Tetsuya moved to the tallest purple figure at the far left of his paper. "This is Atsushi-nii," he said, "He makes very delicious food and would always share his sweets with me. He... he owns a very big restaurant that serves delicious food. He always cooks for us and would make sure I eat my vegetables. Some day, I will be as big as him!"

Akashi heard Murasakibara sniffing next to him and Yumi giggled at his crying boyfriend.

"This is Ryota-nii," Tetsuya then pointed at the yellow figure that stood next to the green figure. "He is a pilot. He drives an airplane and is often not home, but whenever he's at home he plays video games with me without letting nii-san know,"

Akashi glared at Kise who chuckled nervously.

"He... he has a very special friend named Yukio-nii. They hold hands together and would make each other happy," Tetsuya said and Kise paled at the child's words. "But... please don't hate them. Nii-san said most people don't understand them because they think it's a wrong thing when boys hold hands... but I don't think there's nothing wrong if they want to be happy,"

"Tetsuya-cchi," Kise whispered as he cupped his hands on his mouth and tried to blink back the tears after feeling so overwhelmed by his words.

"This is Daiki-nii," Tetsuya continued as he pointed at the indigo figure standing next to the purple figure. "He's a policeman and keeps everyone safe all the time. He is also talented in basketball and taught me how to play, although I can't shoot sometimes. Like me, Daiki-nii's parents are working as angels in heaven and are guarding us,"

"This is Chihiro-nii," Tetsuya pointed at the silver-haired figure next to the yellow figure. "He is often far from home and works as an engineer. He... he makes houses and big buildings. Someday, I'll be just like him,"

Tetsuya then moved to the redhead drawing that stood next to the indigo figure. "And this... is my nii-san. His name is Seijuro-nii. He works in a big building in the city as tall as the castles in the fairytale books we read at school. Nii-san is often frowning at the papers he works at and would often skip meals and sleep late and make all of us worried,"

Akashi raised a brow at Midorima who just smiled and turned back to Tetsuya.

"He often scolds at me whenever I disobey him and keeps secrets from me," Tetsuya continued, "But... I know that he loves me very much and I love him the same way,"

Akashi smiled at Tetsuya who met his eyes and smiled at him.

"This is my Family," Tetsuya said, "I may not have a Mama and Papa like Ogiwara-kun, or Yoshi-kun, or Kiro-kun, or Mako-kun... but I have my brothers, all six of them who love me as much as I love them. I may be sad because I don't have my Mama and Papa close with me, but I am happy that I have nii-san and the others take care of me. I am proud of my Family,"

A round of applause welcomed Tetsuya as he finished his piece and Akashi stood up and scooped Tetsuya, hugging him tight in his arms. "I'm sorry, Tetsuya," he whispered. "I love you very much,"

"I love you too, nii-san," Tetsuya whispered and hugged him back as Kise and the others wrapped their arms around the siblings.

A family doesn't always have to be composed of a Mother, a father, and a child-- most of the time, the family one might be looking for comes from one's friend or one's relatives. Regardless if it's broken or not, as long as it's filled with love-- Family will always be perfect.

**_*** THE END ***_ **


End file.
